The 2017 NBA draft lottery is taking place in just a few hours and Black Sports Online will be live with all the information, updates, etc. The NBA’s 14 non playoff teams all have some chance at potentially landing an impact player in next month’s draft and changing the course of their franchises. The teams with the worst records have the best chance of landing the top pick. The Lakers, need to make sure their pick is in the top three in order to keep it. Otherwise it goes to the 76ers. Sorry Brooklyn, the Celtics (currently in the ECF) have your pick this year as a part of the ill fated KG and Pierce trade. Those are the two biggest storylines heading into tonight’s lottery. Will the draft lottery be the key to ending the Lakers playoff drought and will the Celtics, already in the ECF this year, land a top 3 pick?
The Lakers have been really bad for the past few seasons and are in desperate need of star talent. The draft is full of guys with tremendous upside, including a local kid from Chino Hills who played at UCLA this past season. You may have heard of him. New Lakers President Magic Johnson, if the team lands a top 3 pick, will be looking to make an immediate splash along with GM Rob Pelinka. Securing a top 3 pick is key and will set the wheels in motion to acquire a certain wing player in Indiana who has openly stated he wants to play in LA.
The Celtics are already a playoff caliber team, landing a top 3 and selecting one of the studs in this year’s draft is all a part of GM Danny Ainge’s plan. Keep young cheap talent on the books and see what you can potentially parlay into a top-tier wing player via free agency.
There is so much going on behind the scenes here at the NBA Draft Lottery and this is just the first piece. Once we know the order in which the teams will be drafting, we can begin all the speculation as to who will be true contenders next season.