Mauricio Padilla, the defense attorney for Dedrick Williams -- one of the 3 men accused of killing XXXTentacion -- persuaded the judge it's necessary for Drake to answer questions about his 2017 beef with the late "Look At Me!" rapper.

Drake was originally scheduled to be deposed on January 27, but failed to appear and now must sit for the deposition on February 24, via Zoom. If he misses that date, the judge says he better be in court on Feb. 27 or possibly be charged with contempt.

X and Drake have been intertwined through conspiracy theories for years -- mostly based on claims Drake bit some of his musical style, and one of X's IG stories. Four months before his June 2018 murder, X posted ... "IF ANYONE TRIES TO KILL ME IT WAS @champagnepapi IM snitching RN."

XXXTENTACION deleted the post and said he'd been hacked, but still ... Padilla's doing all he can to create reasonable doubt, and for now, the judge is allowing the far-fetched Drake theory to play out.

The trial began earlier this week as defendants Williams, Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome all face life sentences for their role in killing XXX outside a RIVA Motorsports in June 2018.