Los Angeles Lakers: Latest draft, free agency rumors you need to know
Lakers keeping Markelle Fultz on their radar
Wishful thinking aside, the odds are heavily stacked in favor of the Celtics selecting Markelle Fultz at No. 1 overall. That’s been the consensus since the lottery, and I sincerely don’t see that changing anytime before June 22.
It likely didn’t make the Lakers feel any better when Fultz claimed he wouldn’t be working out for any team other than Boston. However, as Mike Bresnahan pointed out, Los Angeles is still holding out hope they can meet with the dynamic Washington guard in some capacity.
Lakers hopeful of bringing in Markelle Fultz next week. Unclear if it would be for a workout or just a meeting.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) June 9, 2017
The team’s interest is warranted, clearly. Fultz, by most accounts, is the best available player in the 2017 draft class. Not only is he an elite scoring prospect, but he appears to have the whole package — size, athleticism, defense, etc. Any NBA team would love to have this guy on their roster. So why would the Celtics pass on him?
They shouldn’t, but stranger things have happened in this league. Maybe their recent meeting with Fultz didn’t go quite as planned. Maybe general manager Danny Ainge really likes Ball, even though he declined to meet with Boston (via ESPN). It’s all highly unlikely, but I wouldn’t go as far as calling it impossible.
So yes, the Lakers are patiently waiting to see how things play out. Because if Fultz falls to No. 2, I’m very confident Magic won’t hesitant to pull the trigger and draft the former Husky.