Want the No. 1 pick? Just lose a superstar to the Lakers

The Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers just before the trade deadline, giving Los Angeles another superstar. Recently, teams who have traded All-Stars to the Lakers specifically have done unusually well in subsequent draft lotteries.

In 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans refused to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers during the season. Still, Davis and LeBron James had the same agent, Rich Paul, and the Pelicans hired James' old GM from the Cleveland Cavaliers, David Griffin, so a trade to L.A. seemed inevitable.

In the following lottery, not only did the Pelicans get the No. 1 pick and the chance to draft Zion Williamson, the Lakers themselves jumped from 11th to 4th, giving them another premium pick to include in the Davis trade, along with former No. 2 overall picks Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.

In 2012, the Lakers acquired Dwight Howard in a four-team deal late in the summer from the Orlando Magic. In the 2013 draft, the Magic drafted second. In 2009, a year after sending Hall of Famer Pau Gasol to the Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies jumped up to the No. 2 overall pick.

One reason it's clear that Russell Westbrook was no longer a superstar when the Lakers traded for him in 2021 is that his old team, the Washington Wizards, stayed at their expected No. 10 spot in the 2022 draft.

There's an easy explanation for this phenomenon. When teams lose a superstar, they usually get a lot worse, and then get a higher draft pick. It just so happens that the Lakers have an unusual number of superstars who end up on their team.

Still, if any team has a star who tries to force their way to Los Angeles, it may be some consolation that other teams in that situation have gotten shots at their own stars. No matter what the odds are.