FanSided's NBA Draft Central has you covered from every angle with the latest mock drafts, rankings, detailed notes on every top prospect and more.
The Los Angeles Lakers weren't in the mix for the first-round of the NBA Draft, having traded their pick in the original deal with the Pelicans to acquire Anthony Davis back in 2019. That pick had since been moved twice — from the Pelicans to the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade, and then to the Nets in the Kristaps Porziņģis trade earlier this week.
The Nets ultimately used the pick to take Drake Powell, a talented freshman from UNC with the kind of athleticism and two-way potential the Lakers could certainly use in rebuilding their depth. That being said, the Lakers would still happily make the Davis trade again, ending up with a championship and Luka Dončić to show for it six years later.
The Lakers will have an opportunity to address their depth in the second-round of the NBA Draft, with the No. 45 pick. This afternoon it was announced that they were sending the No. 55 pick and cash to the Bulls in order to move up. Last season, they used their second-rounder on Bronny James — the jury is still out on that move, but at best it may be a few years before he's really a difference maker. They could go a very different route this season, taking an experienced college senior who is ready to contribute right away — someone like Kobe Sanders.
Kobe Sanders could be the perfect second-round pick for the Lakers
Kobe Sanders is certainly no Kobe Bryant, but the 23-year-old wing has a lot of tools that the Lakers could put to good use next season. He has great size, at 6-foot-8 and spent much of his time at Nevada operating as a primary creator and ball-handler. Sanders averaged 15.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, shooting a healthy 46.2 percent from the field.
He's not a traditional 3-and-D wing, but his passing and creation ability offer a very different look and could still be extremely useful in a complementary role. FanSided's NBA Draft expert, Chris Kline, detailed just what Sanders could offer a competitive team at the next level:
"Kobe Sanders operates with extreme poise and precision offensively, boasting an impressive 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. His size, playmaking and ball-handling craft are bound to raise eyebrows in the second round. While Sanders is a middling athlete, and therefore struggles to create separation or sustain advantages, he can stick pull-up jumpers with a hand in his face. When he does get downhill, he’s always on the lookout for an open shooter. Sanders is a point guard in a wing’s body, with a high IQ and meaningful skills. That will get teams to overlook the athletic limitations."
The Lakers have plenty of scoring and creation in Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, but complementary pieces who can threaten the defense with more than just shooting in an off ball role will only make the Lakers offense more dangerous. And again, while he won't be another KOBE, "extreme poise and precision offensively" and "can stick pull-up jumpers with a hand in his face" sure sound a bit like Bryant.
There is, however, a chance Sanders will be off the board by the time the Lakers are picking. He's ranked as the No. 50 prospect on Kline's final big board. It's possible that their trade with the Bulls was moving up to secure a specific prospect. A center like Ryan Kalkbrenner or Rocco Zikarsky would also make a lot of sense and fill a need, but there would also be something poetic about the Pacers pulling off another NBA Draft night trade for another Kobe.