Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: With D’Angelo Russell on his way to the Brooklyn Nets, it sounds like the Lakers are set to select UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball second overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Los Angeles Lakers Rumors have boomed today. With the 2017 NBA Draft quickly approaching, the Lakers have fired off the first big move with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers and Nets have reportedly agreed to a deal that will be consummated on Thursday night during the draft. The Lakers will be sending point guard D’Angelo Russell and center Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn. In return, the Lakers will receive center Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
There is a lot of fallout from a trade like this. The intentions for the Nets are clear, as they land a potential building block for the future in Russell. But, they had to take on Mozgov’s albatross of a contract.
For the Lakers, the goal is clear. They added another asset to use on the trade market in the 27th pick. Lopez is an above average center, but his contract ends after this season, which means they save a ton of money.
One of the biggest takeaways from this trade is that the Lakers plans for the No. 2 overall pick may have been shown. Both Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders believes this move means UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball will hear his name called second on Thursday night.
For the Lakers, this is longer-term play to clear space for Paul George and LeBron James pursuit. Lonzo Ball on way at No.2 https://t.co/KxfdEuAUO0
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2017
Trading D'Angelo Russell essentially confirms that the Lakers are drafting Lonzo Ball.
— Moke Hamilton (@MokeHamilton) June 20, 2017
With Russell now on his way to Brooklyn, the starting point guard duties are wide open in Los Angeles. Right now, Jordan Clarkson is the only player on the roster with experience playing point guard; you can expect that to change come Thursday.
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Without Russell on the roster, the Lakers needs are now clear. The potential logjam in the backcourt has been alleviated, paving the way for the Lakers to select the hometown product in Ball.
Ball should fit in seamlessly with the Lakers right off the bat. The Lakers roster is loaded with young talent for him to grow alongside with solid veterans such as Luol Deng and now Lopez mixed in.
There will be a lot of pressure on Ball to succeed in front of his hometown fans and family, leading one of the most prominent organizations in the NBA. But, there was nothing during his time at UCLA or in high school that didn’t show he can live up to the hype.
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While there was plenty of talk leading up to the draft about the Lakers going back on forth about Ball, it sounds like they are ready to commit to selecting him with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.