Lakers Could Land Unexpected Center on Trade Market

"Another possibility or two could develop on draft night depending on how teams value this group of young bigs," writes Woike. "A player such as Duke’s Khaman Maluach could be viewed as too good to pass up even if a team has a center on the roster, and that could create an opportunity for a player to unexpectedly hit the trade market."

Maluach is projected by a mid-lottery selection. Teams drafting within his (anticipated) range include the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

Other big men in this range include South Carolina power forward Collin Murray-Boyles, Ratiopharm Ulm big man Noa Essengue and Maryland center Derik Queen. Clubs with frontcourt depth picking later in the lottery include the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks.

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Provided some of these teams are intrigued enough by the young bucks, they could be more willing to part with their incumbent bigs.

Could the Lakers snag Clint Capela from the Hawks, or Nikola Vucevic from the Bulls? Could Nets center Nic Claxton or Raptors five Jakob Poeltl become available? Time will tell.

As Woike notes, Claxton and Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford are seen as the Lakers' top preferred trade targets. But others could pop up.

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