Alright Lakers fans: I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?
Unfortunately, the way this writing thing works, it’s up to me to choose, so I’ll start with the good.
It appears the man running the Minnesota Timberwolves isn’t a complete buffoon. Ready for the bad news?
Because the aforementioned buffoon is no longer, it looks like the Lakers will not get the most promising prospect we’ve seen since Anthony Davis. According to Mark Heisler, Saunders – who originally preferred Karl-Anthony Towns to Jahlil Okafor – has awoken to see the truth and his Wolves are going to select Towns with the first overall selection June 25.
-== How The Top 5 NBA Prospects Fit With The Lakers ==-
This, from Heisler’s column for Forbes:
"Minnesota GM/coach Flip Saunders, who had been leaning toward Okafor, is said to have turned pro-Towns after seeing him last week in Los Angeles.The splash sent ripples throughout the NBA. Says an insider: “There’s no doubt, the T-Wolves are taking Towns.”I mean, where’s David Kahn when you need him?"
Now, the flipside to this (some pun intended) is whether Saunders actually prefers Towns or is trying to raise leverage in trade negotiations with anyone willing to move up in the draft. Basically, if the Wolves publicly maintained that they prefer Okafor, there would be no reason for the Lakers to give up additional assets to move up and select Towns. By leaking that he prefers the latter, he ensures his Wolves receive proper market value for the top pick should they decide to move it.
For the Lakers, it’s time to start deciding whether they like Towns enough to give up any additional assets to move up to a position where they are guaranteed to nab him. The timing is interesting here; as news dropped recently the Lakers have scheduled a mystery workout Saturday with an unknown entity. If said unknown entity is Towns, and said mystery workout goes fantastically, get ready for reports that the Lakers are weighing their options with the 27th and 34th picks.
Look, the week and change leading up to the draft with be filled with posturing via media reports to gain leverage in any and all kinds of trade negotiations. This is literally the perfect example of a team releasing information to gauge public reaction. The information itself isn’t all that shocking, given Towns is so widely accepted as the better player. The way the information comes out and the reaction to said information is the news here.
Do the right thing, Lakers. Move up and take the better player.
Next: Lakers Draft: How Towns, Okafor Would Fare In NBA Finals