The LA Lakers made the biggest jump in the NBA draft lottery and now the team could be looking at making some major moves this offseason, as reports have Tom Thibodeau as a target at head coach if Byron Scott is fired, as Kobe Bryant wants to play for Thibodeau and this comes as players like Rajon rondo, Greg Monroe, Goran Dragic and LaMarcus Aldridge could be free agent targets.
The Lakers are coming into the draft after getting the second overall pick and the team is hoping for a quick turnaround as Kobe Bryant's career gets closer to ending. The team has the chance to draft either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns depending on what the Timberwolves do and that could be a major help to getting back to their winning ways. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Jordan Shultz of Huffington Post reports that the Lakers "will be pursuing" Thibodeau this offseason if he is pushed out by the Bulls.
There have been numerous reports about the future of Thibodeau, with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reporting that he will not be the coach in Chicago next season. Thibodeau is still under contract and the Bulls could fire him, or they could wait and see if a team like the Orlando Magic or Lakers try and trade for the rights to Thibodeau. UPDATE: Mitch Kupchak said that Kobe Bryant likely will be finishing his Lakers career next season, according to ESPN.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the report says that last year Bryant is keen on having Thibodeau as his coach and this comes after he reportedly wanted Thibodeau before the team hired Scott. Thibodeau has been very successful with the Bulls, but he has had issues with the front office and that could lead to him leaving Chicago. Thibodeau is a great defensive coach and the Lakers need improvement in that area.
Dave McMenamin reported last year on ESPN before the team hired Scott that the Lakers were going to "reach out" to the Bulls "for permission to interview" Thibodeau. Obviously that did not work out, but the Lakers may feel it's worth it to try and get Thibodeau now over sticking things out with Scott, who has a year left on his deal. Once Thibodeau is hired again he could be in that spot for years and this could be the one chance for the Lakers to get him.
The Lakers are expected to go big in free agency and names like Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe and LaMarcus Aldridge could be targets. Monroe is expected to be a main target, as he had a career season for the Pistons and is one of the younger tier of free agents on the market. The Lakers come into the draft after winning the second overall pick in the lottery and the team now has the chance to get Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, who are the top two prospects in the draft.
Woj also reported at Yahoo Sports that Towns could be looking to get to Los Angeles and if that happens, the Timberwolves could focus in on Okafor. After the draft lottery Flip Saunders said that taking Towns was not a guarantee and that he "really likes" Okafor as a player. The Timberwolves have the potential to be the first team in history to have three straight number one picks on the same roster.
