The Los Angeles Lakers do not know yet whether they will have their first round draft pick this summer. That has not stopped the speculation of what they would do with it should they keep it, however.
It was reported earlier today that the Lakers would attempt to trade their pick should they fall to third place in the lottery standings. Now, Marc Spears of The Undefeated is reporting that the team has their sights on a prospect, already.
Lakers enamored with Providence's Kris Dunn after #2 pick & have talked about possibility of 3-guard rotation using Russell as combo, source
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) May 17, 2016
After the dynamic duo of Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons, this draft class has a lot to be desired. There are numerous players who have a case to be made for being the third pick in the draft and Kris Dunn is certainly one of them.
Currently fourth on the DraftExpress big board, Dunn is a dynamic point guard out of Providence who is both a good shooter and passer. His decision-making leaves much to be desired but with proper coaching, that can be fixed and Dunn can become a very good NBA player.
The idea of a three-man guard rotation is an intriguing one for the Lakers with both D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson able to play either guard position. It’s unclear whether it would work well with three young players all feeling deserving of starting, but it could be worth experimenting with, although there are more pressing needs that could be addressed with the third overall pick.
Having said all of that, this seems very premature. The draft is more than a month away and draft lottery, aside, it would shock me if the Lakers already felt so strongly about a prospect, especially before team workouts. Whether this is posturing from Dunn’s agent or an exaggeration on how much the Lakers actually like the point guard is unknown, but either way, the report should be taken with a grain of salt.
Most importantly, we still do not know whether the Lakers will even have a first-round pick in the draft and that should be the focus of the team and fans. After the fate of the pick is known, the speculation can truly begin.
