17. Tristan da Silva, SF/PF, Colorado
If the Lakers keep this pick, they'll be looking for a specific kind of prospect. Namely, one capable of contributing right away, ideally offering shooting touch and flexibility on defense.
L.A. could check all of those boxes with da Silva, whom B/R's Jonathan Wasserman cited as having "a high skill level (at 6'8") and basketball IQ" plus the ability to "provide plug-and-play shotmaking and complementary, spot-up scoring."
55. Bronny James, SG, USC
While James needs some seasoning, the chance of the Lakers finding anyone at this pick spot capable of contributing to a playoff run next season are slim to none. So, it's probably best to keep this in the family and take LeBron James' son in this spot, both for what he offers as a prospect (defense, shotmaking and basketball IQ) and for the message this selection would send to the elder James, who could exit in free agency this summer if he wanted.
"Rival teams sound uncertain about Bronny James' chances of getting drafted, though the Los Angeles Lakers remain the popular guess as to his most likely destination," Wasserman wrote. "If he's still on the board deep into the second round, L.A.'s front office could feel pressure to select him, considering it's essentially a risk-free pick that late, and passing at No. 55 would signal to LeBron how little the team thinks of Bronny."
