For every team but the Thunder and Pacers, the NBA Draft is the next major milestone. 

Most teams are prepping to add solid first round talent, which is abundant in the stacked ’25 class that features Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper and plenty more.

The Los Angeles Lakers, though, don’t have a first round pick this year, with their first conveying to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 22.

Now having added Luka Doncic to the roster alongside LeBron James, Austin Reaves and more, it begs the question: should the Lakers trade into the 2025 draft? While LA doesn’t have a ’25 pick, they do have future firsts they could likely use if they wanted to nab a project this year. Depending on the projections, it’s possible they could land anything after the No. 10 pick.

While there’s plenty of talent, none feel like “can’t miss” prospects for the Lakers.

It’s apparent the team needs a high-level rim-runner alongside Luka Doncic. With his heavy dose of pick-and-roll play, he’s able to make every pass in the book, and elite rim-runners such as Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively and more have thrived alongside him. If that player existed in the upcoming class, it would make plenty of sense for the Lakers to enter it.

While there’s some solid rim-running bigs near the top of this draft, they’re few and far between in the middle to late sections.

Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber and Georgia’s Asa Newell offer a few options, but are likely more project selections than anything, without true verticality to get up while rolling to the rim.

At 6-foot-11 with great mobility, fluidity and lengthy arms, international center Joan Beringer is likely the best fit, but is likely years away from real NBA impact.

Overall, the Lakers may be best served to sit 2025’s first round out, and use its future pick capital on a trade.