We won't be dissecting the actual picks here. There are any number of places you can go to for that kind of analysis today—including B/R's Jonathan Wasserman's draft grades. Rather, we'll look at what the selections portend for L.A.'s immediate future.
In particular, choosing D'Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor—who was widely believed to be the pick going into the draft process—with the No. 2 overall selection blazes a trail for the Lakers to follow this summer.
Let's take a look at the next pieces to the puzzle.
Chase Big-Name Bigs in Free Agency
Going small in the draft with Russell has many thinking that the Lakers have big (pun intended) plans in free agency.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak claims that had no bearing on the decision to go with Russell, telling the media, "It so turns out that there are a lot of big men that may be available during free agency, and if you look at the guys in the backcourt, there may not be as many. But that wasn't a factor [...]," according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN Los Angeles.
There are a staggering number of top-shelf big men hitting the market this offseason, including Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Brook Lopez and Greg Monroe. It makes sense for L.A.'s front office to upgrade the backcourt via the draft and look to add size from the plethora of choice options available in free agency.
Love has long been linked to the franchise, after starring at UCLA for a year, and he did opt out of the final year of his deal in Cleveland. However, it seems that Aldridge has replaced the former Bruin at the top of the wish list after sources told ESPN's Marc Stein that th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
