Evaluating Re-building Teams by the Value of Trade Assets
The website NBA Assets ranks the top 100 assets. Included are draft picks.
Here are the Lakers assets in the top 100 (note that players are ranked taking into consideration their contracts – what’s being ranked is trade value):
31) LAL 2017 1st (~3; 1-3, else to PHL)
54) Brandon Ingram
66) LAL 2018 1st (To PHL if 2017 not settled)
70) D’Angelo Russell
Not bad, let's see how this compares to other re-building teams.
76ers
11) Joel Embiid
19) Ben Simmons
25) Better of PHL 2017 1st (~4) or SAC 2017 1st (~8)
28) LAL 2017 1st (~3; 4-30, else 2018)
65) SAC 2019 1st
89) Dario Saric
96) PHL 2018 1st
Seven assets in the top 100 is pretty good. The average team has 3.3 assets.
Wolves
8) Karl-Anthony Towns
44) Andrew Wiggins
47) MIN 2017 1st (~6-7)
78) Zach LaVine
No Dunn in the top 100 assets. Outside of Simmons, Ingram, Brown, and Murray, no 2016 draftees finished on the top 100 assets list.
Kings
35) SAC 2018 1st
62) SAC 2017 1st (worse of own [~8; P1-10, else to CHI] or PHL [~4])
82) SAC 2020 1st
The NOP 2017 pick the Kings own is not on the list. That is likely an oversight. NOP enters the lottery 10th worst, however the pick is protected 1 thru 3 post-lottery. Dallas at #9 pre-lottery and unprotected is ranked 61.
The Kings 2020 is only one of two picks on the list for three years from now. The Knicks 2020 is listed at #86. This means the NBA Assets Website considers the Kings to be most likely the worst team in three years, with the Knicks a close second.
Suns
24) PHX 2017 1st (~2)
45) Devin Booker
71) Eric Bledsoe
72) MIA 2018 1st (8-30, else 2019)
83) PHX 2019 1st
Magic
26) ORL 2017 1st (~5)
57) Aaron Gordon
93) ORL 2019 1st
Considering how long they have been re-building, I can see why they fired their GM.
Nets
68) BRK 2019 1st
I don't understand why Billy King hasn't found another GM job.
Mavericks
61) DAL 2017 1st (~9)
64) DAL 2018 1st
84) DAL 2019 1st
91) Nerlens Noel
Knicks
21) Kristaps Porzingis
33) NYK 2018 1st
48) NYK 2017 1st (~6-7)
85) NYK 2019 1st
86) NYK 2020 1st
I assume thanks to his contract, Anthony didn't make the list.
I'll stop there although you could argue any of the lottery teams are re-building.