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Lakers GM open to trading No. 4 pick

Gary Dineen / National Basketball Association / Getty

Apparently, everything is on the table when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers' fourth overall pick in this summer's NBA draft, including moving it for a more proven player.

"This is a powerful asset for us," said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "We owe a commitment to our fans to have an outstanding season next year. What this does is it gives us the ability to either select an impact player at four or possibly use this as an extremely valuable asset in trade."

The Lakers entered the lottery with just a 9.4 percent chance of moving into the top four after ending the regular season with a 37-45 record. This marks the fourth time in the last five years that the franchise will be making a pick at least that high.

"I think it's an extraordinary shift for us," Pelinka said. "I mean, top-five picks in the draft, if you go back in the history and study them, those picks can alter and impact franchises.

"This is a big moment for us. Last year, of course, we had to go through some hard and difficult things that this is certainly a great silver lining. Our dedication is really toward our fans right now and doing all we can to deliver a really special Lakers season for our fans."

The Lakers reportedly presented a number of packages to the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of February's trade deadline in an effort to acquire superstar forward Anthony Davis, but no deal ever came to fruition. Los Angeles now has this pick to go along with an abundance of young players and $32.5 million in cap space in its quest to acquire another superstar to pair with LeBron James.

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