‘Already a palpable fear’: Grim truth behind Lakers’ season — and nightmare scenario in play

How did the LA Lakers get right here?

It’s the query the organisation can be repeatedly asking itself amid a horror 3-10 begin to the season the place, crucially, it doesn’t personal its first-round draft decide.

Yes, a Lakers staff that presently has the third-worst report in all the NBA doesn’t have rights to its first decide in a season the place the probably first general choice, generational expertise Victor Wembanyama, is being touted as the very best prospect in years.

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Yikes.

The Lakers’ first rounder is in possession of the New Orleans Pelicans following the Anthony Davis commerce from 2019.

It noticed LA half methods with an enormous haul of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and a number of first spherical picks together with an unprotected decide swap in 2023 to safe Davis.

Sure, the transfer labored out for the Lakers within the brief time period, profitable the 2020 championship underneath the lead of LeBron James and Davis.

But simply two years on from that triumph, LA finds itself in a really grim place … the place issues may but get a lot worse.

“Would you trade an NBA championship for the chance to draft Wembanyama?” ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote.

“That‘s the existential question facing Lakers fans, who can take solace in the 2020 championship banner hanging in their arena, even as they stare down the possibility of sending New Orleans the No. 1 pick as part of the trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.

“That‘s right: A New Orleans team that has 14 out of its 15 players under contract next season could have two franchise players under contract for the foreseeable future in (Zion) Williamson and Wembanyama.”

The Lakers have struggled badly in the early parts of this season, in large due to having the league’s second-worst offensive ranking (105.4) and worst three-point share (30.7 per cent).

You should really feel for brand spanking new coach Darvin Ham, who took over a staff devoid of taking pictures and depth with no actual flexibility to make vital modifications with a lot wage cap tied as much as James, Davis and Russell Westbrook.

And actually, there’s not many levers Ham can pull to attempt to enhance the state of affairs. The transfer of Westbrook to the bench has not less than helped the guard’s particular person play, though it hasn’t been as efficient for the staff at massive.

Outside of their core three, the supporting forged simply isn’t sturdy sufficient.

In equity, whereas most predicted the Lakers wouldn’t be rather more than a fringe playoff staff, not many may’ve foreseen they’d be a possible lottery facet.

But although they’ve carried out beneath expectations, it is a staff that actually didn’t have a lot hope in any respect this season.

It makes the choice to re-sign normal supervisor Rob Pelinka on the eve of the marketing campaign all of the weirder given the Lakers haven’t made the playoffs since that 2020 title run whereas including no key items over the low season to assist flip issues round.

But a lottery contender – clearly not the kind of contender you wish to be – regardless of having a staff constructed to win now’s completely what the Lakers are proper now, which is all of the extra regarding given James and Davis, who’ve struggled to remain wholesome in recent times, are but to overlook any vital time this season.

Should both get struck down, issues may get very, very ugly.

How many groups may you categorically say are worse than the Laker as constructed? Houston, Detroit … and possibly Orlando? Heck, Charlotte has a greater report and didn’t have LaMelo Ball for the very best a part of a month.

It’s very doable LA finishes with a backside 5 report.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans can be sitting there rubbing their palms collectively.

New Orleans has emerged as a darkish horse to return out of the West this season behind one of the vital gifted cores within the league, led by Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Willie Green’s facet sits sixth within the West at 8-6, and even when they aren’t a bona fide contender this season, there’s no denying they’ve a vibrant future and will contender for silverware down the observe.

Now, let’s say the Lakers end with the fifth-worst report within the league (which is being form based mostly on the place they presently sit), they’d have a ten.5 per cent likelihood of getting Pick 1 (and thus go it onto the Pelicans).

Those odds enhance to 14 per cent in the event that they end with a backside three general report, which, clearly, is a definite chance and the present predicament.

It’s additionally value noting New Orleans personal an unprotected first rounder from the Lakers in 2024, which could be pushed again to 2025 if it needs.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers organisation is rising involved its poor play this season may hand Wembanyama to the Pelicans on a silverware platter to kind a scary huge three alongside Williamson and Ingram.

“There is already a palpable fear inside (what I still like to call) Staples Center that the Purple & Gold are careening toward a draft in June in which the New Orleans Pelicans are gleefully positioned to swap picks with L.A. as a condition of the Anthony Davis blockbuster deal in July 2019,” by way of Marc Stein Substack.

Should the unthinkable certainly occur and Wembanyama finally ends up at New Orleans, it’d should go down as one of many greatest entrance workplace blunders in league historical past — as worthwhile because the Davis commerce appeared on the time.

The 7-foot-2 Wembanyama has regarded nearly as good as marketed up to now, displaying off unbelievable abilities for an 18-year outdated within the French league this season.

The teenage phenom is the kind of expertise who may change a staff’s fortunes and develop into it’s franchise cornerstone … which is strictly what the Lakers want proper now with James in his twilight days.

In reality, it’s precisely the participant the Lakers hoped Davis would develop into.

Davis’ future with the staff is itself in query amid the likelihood the Lakers may blow up their roster and commerce the star centre to create simply in regards to the biggest irony possible.

It’s not identified how significantly the Lakers have thought-about dealing Davis or if it’s merely a hearsay, but it surely’s clear one thing has to vary inside the organisation.

Unlike Westbrook, dealing Davis would web the Lakers significant property and return, and so they wouldn’t should give up extra draft capital with the participant.

Given they presently don’t have their first rounder and face the potential of handing Pick 1 to a budding powerhouse, off-loading extra decide/s certainly isn’t a path they’d wish to go down — notably given the place they’re presently positioned.

Davis can be their most beneficial asset, and contemplating they’re not profitable video games proper now, nor do they appear even near being a playoff facet … possibly buying and selling Davis is their finest play?

But within the greater image, the potential of the Lakers dropping each Davis, who value them a king’s ransom, and Pick 1 (Wembanyama) within the area of three years is a few kind of catastrophe situation.

It creates a significantly nervous look ahead to the purple and gold within the lead into the 2023 draft lottery.