LA LAKERS

So I dug deeper into the status of the Lakers future picks to see what will be coming to us under the two alternate realities. The following will be our assets/haul under each scenario:

IF WE KEEP OUR 1st Rd PICK THIS YEAR:

1. 2017 1st round pick (OWN - top 3)
2. 2018 2nd round pick (DEN via CHI - Jose Calderon trade)
3. 2019 1st round pick (OWN)
4. 2019 2nd round pick (CHI - via Jose Calderon trade)

IF WE LOSE OUR 1st Rd PICK THIS YEAR:

1. 2017 2nd round pick (OWN)
2. 2018 1st round pick (OWN)
3. 2018 2nd round pick (OWN)
4. 2018 2nd round pick (DEN via CHI - Jose Calderon trade)
5. 2019 2nd round pick (CHI - via Jose Calderon trade)

Should we lose our pick this year, our backup haul isn't so bad. In fact we'll have more picks. Many keep saying that tanking this year is more imperative than ever since they point to the fact that we'll be losing this years and the one in 2019. In reality though, we're only really going to be losing just this years pick but gaining an additional 2nd rounder. 2018's 1st rounder arguably will be more valuable than 2019's (should Lakers incrementally improve). Also who knows with more 2nd round picks in our warchest, if Lakers draft well (as they seem to have been) the overall draft haul may be offset. Time will tell.