2017 NBA Draft: Lonzo Ball to Lakers is not a lock, per new report
UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball will work out for the Los Angeles Lakers on June 7. While the Lakers are widely expected to draft the young floor general with their No. 2 overall pick, a new report claims that Ball must "absolutely blow the doors off" in the workout session for Los Angeles to select him.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Lakers will take a hard look at Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox before making their final decision on June 22."There is a growing sense that unless Lonzo absolutely blows the doors off, he may not be the Lakers’ guy.
"The Lakers are weeks away from needing to make their final decision, but there are many that believe the Lakers could go after both Kansas forward Josh Jackson and Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox (who made my Mock at 2 this week) with the second overall pick," Kyler wrote in his 2017 NBA Draft notebook published Thursday. The report adds that Ball's camp has "expressed a willingness to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers and possibly the Sacramento Kings depending on how things go with the Lakers."
2017 NBA Draft: Lonzo Ball to Lakers is not a sure thing
Ball has refused to work out for the Boston Celtics, the team which owns the No. 1 overall pick. There has been some chatter about the Sixers and Celtics exchanging their Top-3 picks to facilitate a trade for Dario Saric or Jahlil Okafor. As of this writing, the Celtics are expected to draft Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 overall pick. In such a scenario, the Sixers would be able to draft either Kansas forward Josh Jackson or Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox.
Meanwhile, the Lakers could package second-year point guard in a potential Paul George trade this offseason. Soon after the Lakers landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, Russell, per several league sources, became expendable since Los Angeles would reportedly prefer giving Ball the reins of the offense. Though many expect Lakers coach Luke Walton to experiment with a backcourt duo of Ball and Russell, there's growing speculation that president Magic Johnson would be willing to move Russell for a player of George's stature.
Lonzo Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists in his one-and-done season at UCLA. In comparison, Markelle Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game for a Washington Huskies team that finished with a 9-22 record and 2-16 in Pac-12 competition.
