The Los Angeles Lakers are accustomed to being at the center of rumors, and the offseason is always full of them. With the 2018 NBA Draft on the horizon and free agency not far behind, rumors are flying about which direction the Lakers may go in.
This episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed focuses on those rumors. Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka have prepared for the draft by working out a number of prospects.
It’s possible the team might even be interested in moving up in Draft in order to potentially select Zhaire Smith.
However, they are also rumored to have promised to take big man Mitchell Robinson, who didn’t play in college but possesses plenty of potential thanks to his raw athleticism and length.
Meanwhile, Maryland guard Kevin Huerter had a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine and then visited the Lakers for a pre-draft workout. After that, he canceled an upcoming workout with the Utah Jazz but also decided to keep his name in the draft rather than return to college for another season.
There was a report that perhaps the Jazz had promised to select Huerter with the 21st pick, but the latest suggests that it was instead the Lakers who had told Huerter that he would not slip past them.
One potential complication is the news that Huerter will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right hand, though that was known prior to the Draft Combine, and he still put on an impressive shooting display in front of Lakers head coach Luke Walton and others anyway.
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