The Los Angeles Lakers made the most significant jump in the NBA draft lottery by getting the number two overall pick and now the team may get Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor and this comes as players like Goran Dragic, Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe could be free agent targets to join Kobe Bryant.
Most draft experts have Towns and Okafor as the top two players in the draft this year and predict the Lakers will take whichever players is left after the Timberwolves pick. According to Chad Ford at ESPN.com, the team has Okafor and Towns very close on their draft board, but if Towns goes number one, there is a chance they will consider D'Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay. The Lakers have Jordan Clarkson at point guard and if they want to give him a chance to start, a big man could be the pick.
According to Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV, Mudiay is working out for the Los Angeles Lakers along with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. Towns reportedly may not work out for anyone and that likely is the right way to go, as he is already one of the presumptive top pick options. Mudiay's workouts will be important, as he played overseas last season and also dealt with an injury.
The Pro Basketball Talk mock draft has Towns and Okafor going with the top two picks, while Russell is at third to the Sixers and Justise Winslow is in instead of Mudiay at fourth for the Knicks. The Lakers are expected to spend big in free agency this summer and some players they could chase include Goran Dragic, Greg Monroe, Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler, Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rajon Rondo.
The emergence of Clarkson helps the Lakers, as they could look at other options over signing Dragic and spend it in other areas of need. The team reportedly only wants Rondo at a discount anyway and any money not spent on a point guard could go to someone like Greg Monroe, LaMarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol. There is a good chance that Gasol stays put and if that happens, the Lakers could go hard after Monroe or Aldridge, who reportedly could consider leaving Portland.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team will consider giving Dragic a max contract offer, but he is likely to stay with the Miami Heat. Rondo is also expected to be a target, but Bleacher Report writer Jason Cole reports that the team wants him to sign a below market deal at a "discount." The Lakers have the number two pick and they could get Okafor or Towns depending on who the Minnesota Timberwolves take. The team may have their point guard of the future after Clarkson made the All-Rookie team, but they could still go after Rondo or Dragic.