The 2017 NBA Draft is little more than a month away on June 22. The Los Angeles Lakers, now knowing they own their lottery pick and a late first-rounder, will be doing their due diligence to evaluate talent over the next few weeks by working out prospects at the team’s practice facility in El Segundo.
On Monday, the Lakers will bring in six draft prospects, according to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
Lakers are hosting pre-draft workouts on Monday. Below are the participants pic.twitter.com/BF2TX4trzK
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 19, 2017
Although the team is focused on figuring out which player they’ll take with the No. 2 overall pick and possibly may be weighing the options of trading said pick, Magic Johnson and company will continue to bring in draft prospects in the coming weeks.
As Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times points out, the team isn’t only looking at the top of the draft but also for players they may take at No. 28 and potential invites for the NBA Summer League in July:
Remember the Lakers have the 2nd pick, 28th pick and are looking for summer league/camp invitees.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) May 20, 2017
Maryland product Melo Trimble, Gonzaga’s Nigel Williams-Goss and Kyle Kuzma of Utah are among the most notable names on the list of players scheduled to work out for the team on Monday. Although the majority of these three players are not expected to go in the first round and could turn out to be second-round picks at best, they could improve their stock with the Lakers with a strong workout or at least become a candidate for the team’s Summer League squad if they go undrafted.
Along with the six players scheduled to work out for the team on Monday, the Lakers have already brought in or are rumored to bring in Tre’ Coggins (Cal State Fullerton), Tacko Fall (University of Central Florida), Tony Bradley (North Carolina), Isaac Hamilton (UCLA), Davon Reed (Miami), Zak Irvin (Michigan), and Trevon Bluiett (Xavier).
Of course, over the next few weeks, they’ll likely also bring in top prospects like Lonzo Ball (UCLA), Markelle Fultz (Washingon), De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky), Josh Jackson (Kansas), and Jayson Tatum (Duke).