Los Angeles Lakers are expected to finish with one of the top 5 worst records in the NBA this season. They will most likely land anywhere between 2 and 4 to be exact.
They also have a possible small issue on their hands. Their first round pick this season is top-5 protected meaning if the Lakers fall in the top 5 for the draft lottery, they keep their pick. If they fall 6 or worse, they lose it and it belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers.
It appears that the Lakers leadership is aware of this fact so, for the second year in a row, they’ve made their deadline to renew season tickets just one day before the NBA draft lottery.
From Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers set the deadline to renew on May 18, exactly one day ahead of the lottery.
Ticket prices did not increase, an apparent acknowledgment of the team’s recent struggles.
Last season, the Lakers went a franchise-worst 14-27 at home last season so fittingly this year’s squad could only tie that mark by winning its three remaining games in Los Angeles, which they are likely to do. Especially considering their final 3 home games are against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings. Kings and T-Wolves, of course, are also lottery teams and the Mavericks have essentially clinched the 7 seed in the Western Conference.
It’s definitely a hard sell to the fans. Trying to convince them to spend thousands of dollars to keep watching that less than stellar product ins’t exactly the easiest. Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle will return and the Lakers will have cap space to pursue elite free agents and they’ll probably keep their lottery pick, too. So there is some sort of excitement for next season.
If of course they keep it. Which seems to be the driving force behind the Lakers wanting to do this. Nothing is promised, ever, as Lakers fans know all too well.
