Lakers News: Why Celtics' 2024 Championship Is Even More Painful Than Usual for LA

Granted, they're all painful.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (right) during the third quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Watching the Boston Celtics claim their NBA-record 18th league title on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks proved particularly brutal for the Los Angeles Lakers organization and the team's fans. Yes, it was worse than usual, which is no small feat for L.A.'s greatest league rival.

The Celtics have been the Lakers' NBA Finals foes across a league-record 12 series, and by winning their 18th title have broken their tie with Los Angeles, which stays stuck at 17.

But this one might hurt worse than usual. That's because Los Angeles' front office whiffed on selecting the two core All-Stars at the heart of Boston's title berth.

In 2016, the Lakers' front office, under former team president Mitch Kupchak, drafted small forward Brandon Ingram out of Duke with the No. 2 pick. Cal Berkeley swingman Jaylen Brown, meanwhile, was selected with the third pick by the Celtics.

In 2017, during the first season with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka at the helm of L.A.'s front office, Los Angeles drafted Chino Hills native Lonzo Ball out of UCLA with the second pick, while Boston traded down from the No. 1 pick in the draft to acquire forward Jayson Tatum out of Duke at No. 3. In both of those drafts, the Philadelphia 76ers wound up with the top selection, drafting Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz in 2016 and '17, respectively.

While Ingram blossomed into a one-way All-Star with the New Orleans Pelicans and Ball became an above-average 3-and-D starter in New Orleans and with the Chicago Bulls before being sadly waylaid by injuries, Tatum and Brown have become much better players. Both two-way talents (though Brown doesn't have much of a handle, even still), they seem poised to threat to help their Celtics hang a few more banners before their tenure with the franchise is over. Ingram and Ball, meanwhile, did their best work for other teams. What would this Lakers franchise have looked like with a core of LeBron James (who joined in 2018 as a free agent, when both Ingram and Ball were still on the team), Tatum and Brown? Would it have ever traded for Anthony Davis? Time will tell.

More Lakers: Los Angeles Misses Out on Hiring Beloved Coach-Turned-Consultant, Who Signs with Rival