The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t in a rush to make any trades to try and help them out of their poor start to the season. Los Angeles has engaged teams in trade talks, but those talks often include the Lakers giving up both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks.
At this point, LA is unwilling to part with both picks in any deals. There’s not a belief that there is a trade on the table that will make the Lakers title contenders. There’s also worry that the Lakers may struggle to get beyond the Play-In Tournament range, even if they make a trade that sends out both future first-round picks.
The idea of the Lakers protecting the picks has been brought up, but that is nearly impossible. Teams are only allowed to trade picks up to seven years in the future. And all conditions of a trade must be met before that seven-year window ends. The Lakers could protect the 2027 pick, but without a rollover option to 2028, because that would make the 2029 untradeable due to the Stepien Rule. The Stepien Rule prevents teams from trading future first-round picks in back-to-back drafts.
