The Los Angeles Lakers will have a huge decision to make on June 22.
The Lakers own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and they reportedly are considering multiple players for the selection.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Los Angeles still is leaning towards Lonzo Ball, but team executives haven’t forgotten how Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox outplayed the UCLA product head-to-head in the NCAA tournament. And Josh Jackson allegedly is in the mix, too.
“I also think it reflects a genuine split within the organization about whom the best long-term candidate is,” Ford writes. “Ball was a clear favorite of the prior administration run by Mitch Kupchak and still has his fans within the organization. But the Lakers also took note on how Fox outplayed Ball in their head-to-head matchup in March. And Jackson has always been another favorite in the organization.”
Ball, a California native, hasn’t hidden his desire to don the Purple and Gold.
Rumors have circulated saying L.A. was losing interest in Ball due to his father, LaVar Ball. But after Lonzo’s pre-draft workout Wednesday, the point guard said that the team “loves” his dad.
And while there appears to be a lot of uncertainty regarding what the Lakers will do with the No. 2 pick, the same can’t be said for the Boston Celtics at No. 1. All signs point toward the C’s taking Washington product Markelle Fultz with the top selection.
Thumbnail photo via Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Sports Images
