Lakers host potential draft picks for workouts at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo Friday June 20, 2014. Photo By Robert Casillas / Daily Breeze”

Plenty of scenarios could emerge that dictate how the Lakers will use their seventh overall draft pick leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft next Thursday.

They could trade it in hopes of obtaining multiple mid to late first-round draft picks, or a more developed player than an unseasoned rookie would likely offer. The Lakers may keep their draft pick in hopes that Kansas center Joel Embiid becomes available since teams drafting ahead of the Lakers may feel concerned over his surgery on Friday to repair a stress fracture in his right foot.

If Embiid’s injuries and subsequent recovery appears too much of a risk, the Lakers could opt for a safer route in selecting a promising prospect that may take longer to develop. Such options would likely involve either a point guard (Australia’s Dante Exum, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart, Louisiana–Lafayette guard Elfrid Payton) or forward (Kentucky’s Julius Randle, Arizona’s Aaron Gordon, Indiana’s Noah Vonleh).

The Lakers are “open to anything,” said a person familiar with the Lakers’ thought process.
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