Ben Simmons (Photo : Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers will have plenty of options to choose from if they land within the top three in the lottery.
Aside from the free agency, the Lakers are also in play for this year's NBA draft, with LA having the potential to win within the top three selection. It will give the Purple and Gold the chance to have another talented youngster, who could be the Lakers' next star or potential piece for a trade package.
The Lakers are once again poised to hit the lottery jackpot, thanks to the team's dismal campaign this season.
But the team only has 19.9 percent chance to win the lottery, which still makes it cloudy whether the Lakers could get one of the top-talented players in the 2016 draft class. Moreover, Los Angeles' pick is top-three protected, which means they only get to keep the pick of it is a top-three selection.
"If the Lakers do not get the first, second or third selection, they lose the pick altogether. Conversely, if the Lakers successfully get through the lottery on May 17, they will owe their 2017 first-rounder to Philadelphia, also with top-three protection," Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times wrote.
Nevertheless, if the Lakers get lucky, they could choose from a handful of prospects projected to be the draft's top-three selection.
The projected top-three in this year's draft class would feature tremendous talent, giving the Lakers a win-win scenario as long as they get to keep their pick. According to Upside Motor, the projected top-three in this year's class would feature LSU's Ben Simmons, Duke's Brandon Ingram and Maccabi Tel Aviv's Dragan Bender.
Simmons would be a great addition for the Lakers' already promising young core. At 6-foot-10, the 16-year-old Aussie has the court vision of a point guard and can play the three or four spot due to his positional versatility.
On the other hand, Ingram would provide the Lakers an athletic wing the team has been longing for. The Blue Devils small forward has a build like Kevin Durant and has plenty of defensive upside, which the Lakers have been evidently lacking this season.
Meanwhile, Simmons and Ingram may be the two known prizes in the draft and the Lakers may not have either one of them if the team falls at No. 3. However, Bender could be a viable option for the Lakers as the third overall pick.
According to Silver Screen and Roll Draft expert Ben Rosales, the 7-foot-1 Croatian prospect should fit well with the Lakers, particularly playing alongside Julius Randle.
"Bender has excellent size (7'1'', 7'2'' wingspan), is a fluid athlete who can run the floor really well, a burgeoning shooter from range, and has fascinating potential as a guy who can switch onto smalls and stay with them on the perimeter. Needs to put on a lot of strength but decent motor and he competes," Rosales noted as reported by SB Nation's Harrison Faigen.
"The idea would be that he and Randle could play in the same frontcourt together, Bender spacing the floor as Randle attacks the rim. In addition, both would play really well in an aggressive, switching defense a la Golden State."
There are definitely plenty of prospects the Lakers could consider in draft night, but it could either be between these three youngsters if LA get lucky at the draft lottery in May.
