Lakers Rumors: Team has ‘likely’ promised Josh Jackson they will draft him
By Nick Ziegler
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors have emerged that the team has ‘likely’ promised Kansas forward Josh Jackson that they will be drafting him.
With the NBA Draft closing in, Lakers rumors are starting to heat up. As the team has recently worked out some of the top prospects, we have heard some different reports about what direction they might go in.
Recently, the Lakers worked out point guard Lonzo Ball. For months we have heard Ball’s name linked to the Lakers, but now it doesn’t seem like such a sure thing. In his workout, Ball reportedly didn’t seal the deal with the Lakers, and then it was later reported that he looked out of shape.
With things seemingly cooling on Ball, the most recent Lakers rumor is that they have ‘likely’ promised Josh Jackson that they will be drafting him. According to John Gambadoro, Jackson has received a promise, that Gambadoro believes is from the Lakers.
Josh Jackson has been promised - has worked out for Lakers in LA. Has not worked out for Phoenix yet. It could be Philly but likely Lakers.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) June 12, 2017
This is certainly big news if true, as Jackson did recently work out for the Lakers. While we have heard that the Lakers might not be too high on Ball, the assumption was that if they faded on Ball, it would likely be for De’Aaron Fox.
At 6’8”, Jackson has the size to be a small forward in the NBA. Last season, the Lakers took Brandon Ingram to fill that role. Now, Jackson could potentially play at shooting guard for the Lakers, but that might be a stretch.
With 10 days to go before the draft, things could certainly change for the Lakers. However, it will be interesting to monitor if Gambadoro is right, and the Lakers did indeed promise Jackson that they will take him. Also, this could potentially set the Lakers up to trade down since Jackson wasn’t projected to be the second overall pick.
Next: Who do the Lakers land in our complete first round mock draft?
It is worth noting that Gambadoro is from Phoenix, and was also the person that broke the Steve Nash deal. Furthermore, this information could be coming from someone around the Suns, who hold the fourth pick in the draft. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how things continue to play out.