It’s been about a month since we last checked in on the Los Angeles Lakers’ tanking efforts, and things have gotten considerably more precarious for the team since then.
The Lakers (21-52) are now just half a game “ahead” of the Phonix Suns (22-52) for the second-best odds to keep their first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, a pick which will convey to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside of the top-three selections.
The second-worst record in the league would give Los Angeles a 55.7 percent chance to keep their pick, while a third-worst finish would drop those chances to 46.