Draft Lottery: A Magical Guarantee

The Lakers need all the help they can get with the NBA Draft Lottery. With recent comments by Luke Walton, some ask, ‘Is it rigged?’

On Wednesday, Luke Walton sat down with CBS Sports’ We Need to Talk segment and while on the air he said something, well, interesting. Luke apparently has spoken with Magic Johnson, who has guaranteed him that the team was keeping the top-three pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Was Magic joking? Or was he serious? Even with the recent the comments, the team will need all the help it can get when it comes to keeping the pick during the May 16 NBA Draft Lottery.

Here’s the video.

Of course, when you accuse arguably the most recognizable name in basketball, and maybe even all of sports, Twitter blows up. Here are a few examples.

This wouldn’t be the first time the NBA has been accused of rigging the NBA Draft Lottery in order for a team to profit from it. The Cavs had four straight years of receiving a top-four pick. Twice they won the lottery when they weren’t even in top five going in.

Some will say those picks all were given to the team in order for The Chosen One, LeBron James, to return home. Fishy. Now I’m not one to say the NBA as a whole is rigged, but who knows?

The NBA Draft Lottery may not be rigged to the extent that’s being shopped around, but the conspiracy theories date back to the very first lottery in 1985, when the New York Knicks won the right to draft Georgetown star Patrick Ewing.

We’ve come a long way from frozen envelopes and creased corners. Now ping pong balls bounce to determine the fates of players and franchises.

Nevertheless, do you really think the NBA is just going to let its marquee franchise continue to be among the league’s worst teams? Likely not.

Next: Late First-Round Draft Targets

What are your thoughts on Luke Walton’s most recent comments?