In the days leading to the draft, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka came up with the first big move as executives of the Los Angeles Lakers. The trade of former 2nd overall pick D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for center Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft was not well received by fans, who had high hopes for the young guard.
The move was essential to free cap space for the 2018 free agency which promises to be a pool of talent with names like Paul George, LeBron James and DeMarcus Cousins.