The Lakers face an offseason of uncertainty until LeBron James makes his free-agent decision. If the 39-year-old returns to Los Angeles, as many expect, the goal becomes simple: re-tool as much as possible around the championship-winning core of James and Anthony Davis.
While James and Davis have won a title together, the Lakers haven’t played at a championship level ever since. This past season started slowly and ended with a first round loss in the playoffs, giving way to Darvin Ham’s firing and JJ Redick’s hiring as head coach.
There might be a new man in charge on the sideline, but Rob Pelinka is still running the front office and is facing serious pressure to keep the Lakers’ championship window open while James is still playing at such a high level. The NBA Draft could be one way to add another talented piece or two at minimal cost.
Here’s a look at the Lakers’ draft selections and Los Angeles’ biggest needs this offseason.
MORE: What does JJ Redick hiring mean for LeBron James’ Lakers future?
Lakers draft picks 2024: When does Los Angeles pick?
The Lakers own two picks in the 2024 NBA Draft:
- Round 1, No. 17
- Round 2, No. 55 (via Clippers)
The Lakers own their own first-round pick, so they are slated to select 17th on Wednesday. While the top of the draft is considered weak, there could absolutely be some solid players available in the middle of the first round as Los Angeles looks to add low-cost talent.
The No. 55 pick was added by the franchise in a four-team trade at the 2023 deadline that sent Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets, Bones Hyland to the Clippers and Mo Bamba to the Lakers.
The Lakers also had the No. 17 pick last year and used it to select Jalen Hood-Schifino, who played sparingly as a rookie.
Lakers 2024 NBA Draft order
| Round | Pick | Selection |
| 1 | 17 | TBD |
| 2 | 55 | TBD |
MORE: Are Lakers eyeing Dejounte Murray trade?
Lakers draft needs
- Size: Anthony Davis remains a central piece of the Lakers’ core, but they could use more size off the bench after the presences of Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes didn’t exactly pay off last season. This team finished dead last in offensive rebounding and needs to prepare for the event that Davis misses time as the big man and his checkered injury history enter season No. 13. The Lakers don’t necessarily have to add a pure big man like Zach Edey, but a versatile player who can use his size to his advantage would be ideal.
- Instant-impact players: No team can count on a second-round pick to make an instant impact, but the Lakers’ first-round pick can be used on an experienced player who can step in and play an impactful role, much like Christian Braun and Dereck Lively II did for contenders over the past two seasons. With their title window teetering, Los Angeles needs to prioritize those types of players over long-term projects.
NBA Mock Draft 2024
SN’s Kyle Irving predicts the Lakers will select Colorado forward Tristan da Silva with the No. 17 pick and USC guard Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in his two-round mock draft.
Selecting da Silva would give the Lakers a player who not only has ideal size (6-9, 220 lbs) but can also shoot 3-pointers and has the experience to step right into a role off the bench.
James needs no introduction. The USC freshman is a project, but for the Lakers, pairing him with his legendary father would likely be a dream. Will James still be available at No. 55? Recent reports and comments from agent Rich Paul indicate he could go much earlier, so and James’ draft stock is especially unpredictable due in part to his connection to an all-time great who happens to be a pending free agent.