Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are being billed as the top two players entering the NBA Draft. That means the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers could each get one of the two players if they so choose. As the draft gets closer, rumors are increasing over who exactly each team is targeting and according to the latest mock drafts and reports, the Lakers have their sights set on one with the No.2 pick.
According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Lakers are sold on drafting Okafor as they must hope the Timberwolves select Towns. The Lakers have worked out all of the top prospects heading into the draft, but having the No.2 pick means they can simply draft based on talent and not need. The Lakers do not have an abundance of talent at any one position to rule out any of the rookies in the draft. So as of now it appears that Okafor will be the favorite to become the franchise center for the team.
The Lakers' draft will dictate their free agency run. If the team drafts Okafor, that likely means a point guard will become a priority in free agency. Los Angeles has worked out both D'Angelo Russell and Emmnauel Mudiay that they could pair with Jordan Clarkson, but they could be leaning towards a veteran for the job.
The Los Angeles Times has been reporting the Lakers remain interested in Rajon Rondo despite his dramatic ending with the Dallas Mavericks. He is a quality option along with players like Reggie Jackson, Patrick Beverley or even trades for Ty Lawson or Brandon Jennings. That would give the Lakers an established star to pair with Clarkson who had a breakout rookie season.
The Lakers have a chance to really build something in the coming season. Marc Stein from ESPN originally reported the Lakers were hoping to be a target for Kevin Love this season or Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook next year. However, they cannot afford to wait around in hopes of winning the Durant sweepstakes. They can draft Okafor to pair with a healthy Julius Randle. A veteran point guard can join Kobe Bryant and Nick Young can resume his starting role with the team barring a trade of the shooting guard. It all starts with picking between Towns and Okafor.
