I need confirm…..is it true that we can’t protect the Lakers pick in a trade???

I hear a lot of the local guys alluding to this, and I believe Shamit was one of the ones saying he heard this. But it’s almost like no one wants to go out and say it point blank.

Something about timing and needing to actually have a pick to swap. Supposedly we would have to trade the 23 pick unprotected, or make the swap with the Lakers pre trade and then protect. But we can’t say, top four protected and still retain the option for it to be the higher of the two picks.

It makes sense in a way, but do we know this to be fact?

Edit: sorry if this has already been covered thoroughly somewhere else.