Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz Leading Up to NBA Draft

Certain professional sports franchises will be in the national sports news spotlight regardless of their record.

The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees are the two most obvious picks, but in the NBA, the three main franchises that fit that bill are the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although the Lakers have missed the playoffs for the past four seasons, news surrounds L.A. every week. This offseason is certainly no exception, especially because a new era has begun with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka taking over the basketball operations.

Here is the latest Laker buzz leading up to the NBA draft.

Lonzo Ball

Most of the stars seem to be aligning for the former UCLA point guard to join the Lakers next season and run the point right away.

However, according to Mark Medina of the Orange County Register, Ball didn't emerge from his Laker workout with a perfect grade: "Many qualities have made the Lakers impressed with Ball, including his leadership potential, passing and scoring. They are not impressed, however, with his level of conditioning. Some observers of Ball’s workout last Wednesday thought he came in out of shape."

Regardless of the Lakers' thoughts on Ball's conditioning, he is still the best fit for a team that needs a pass-first floor general who can keep the offense efficient and organized. D'Angelo Russell, who is best suited to play off the ball and light up the scoreboard, is not the best player to fill that role.

Ultimately, the first two qualities that Medina said the Lakers were impressed with the most (his leadership potential and passing) are the ones that Los Angeles needs the most in its lineup. Therefore, Ball should still be the clear favorite to land with the Lakers with the second overall pick.

De'Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson

While Lonzo Ball is probably going No. 2 to the Lakers, it definitely isn't a guarantee. Chad Ford of ESPN reports that the Lakers like forward Josh Jackson and point guard De'Aaron Fox in addition to Ball.

"I also think it reflects a genuine split within the organization about whom the best long-term candidate is. Ball was a clear favorite of the prior administration run by Mitch Kupchak and still has his fans within the organization. But the Lakers also took note on how Fox outplayed Ball in their head-to-head matchup in March. And Jackson has always been another favorite in the organization."

De'Aaron Fox scored 39 points on 13-of-20 shooting against Ball and the UCLA Bruins in their Sweet 16 matchup last season, which resulted in an 86-75 win. Fox's explosiveness and defense from the point guard position are second to none in this draft.

Jackson is a fantastic two-way forward who is an efficient scorer on offense and lights-out on defense. He would be a great addition to a Lakers team that finished dead last in defensive efficiency last season, per ESPN.com.

Fox and Jackson could certainly be picked ahead of Ball at No. 2. However, the Lakers need a pass-first point guard who can run the offense, and Ball is the best fit. The selection may go down to the wire, but expect Los Angeles to take Ball second overall.

LeBron James

Will the star power of new president of basketball operations Magic Johnson bring some superstars to Los Angeles?

Per Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, one of those superstars might be one of the best basketball players of all time, LeBron James:

"Rumblings across the league suggest that LeBron will consider taking his talents out West, as Bill Simmons and I discussed this week on The Bill Simmons Podcast. The LeBron noise echoes what The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote last year: With a Finals victory for Cleveland secure, James could get to “run off with his buddies again somewhere warm.” Multiple league sources I’ve spoken to think the Lakers or Clippers are viable destinations for King James."

It's not impossible to see some combination of LeBron James and some of his best friends in the league (e.g. Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade) joining forces for a few years as they finish out their NBA careers.

The Lakers seem like an odd fit for James. They are clearly building around a very young core right now, which will include whatever player they take with the second overall pick in the draft. If James wants to partner with his All-Star friends, then the Lakers might not be the best pairing.

The Clippers, however, could be the right choice. Seemingly the entire Clippers roster will enter free agency this offseason, leaving Los Angeles with numerous options for its future.

While Los Angeles may be enticing, the guess here is that James finishes out his career in his home state of Ohio and keeps the Cavaliers contending for the NBA Finals until retirement.