Lakers grab Lonzo Ball with 2nd overall pick
Lonzo Ball and his dad are staying home with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers selected Ball with the second overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, staking a big portion of their future on the UCLA playmaker with an attention-grabbing father.
After the worst four-year stretch in franchise history, the 16-time NBA champion Lakers are rebuilding with the point guard who led the nation with 7.7 assists per game last season for the Bruins. With preternatural court vision and a desire to become a leader, Ball has everything the Lakers wanted on court.
The Lakers also don’t appear concerned by LaVar
Ball, the family patriarch with aspirations of building a global sports empire around his three talented sons.
LaVar Ball has vowed that oldest son Lonzo would end up with the Lakers for two years, believing he could speak his dream into existence. Moments after it became a reality at the draft in New York, LaVar pulled on a purple-and-gold hat featuring the logo of his Big Baller Brand company — and then vowed Lonzo will lead the Lakers back to the playoffs next season as a rookie.
Lonzo Ball usually grins and sighs when his father gets on the microphone, but he openly acknowledged he wanted to land with the Lakers, who needed a fortunate showing in the draft lottery just to end up with the second pick.
After that bit of serendipity, the Lakers made their plans for Ball well-known earlier this week when they agreed to trade point
guard D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets. Butler headed to Minnesota
According to reports from the Associated Press, the Chicago Bulls traded threetime All-Star Jimmy Butler and the 16th overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for
Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 overall draft pick.
The trade means a reunion for Butler and Tom Thibodeau, who coached the Bulls for five seasons before being fired in 2015. Butler gives Thibodeau the tough-minded scorer and hard-nosed defender that he has been searching for to complement a promising young core. Jackson drafted by Suns
Former Kansas guard Josh
Jackson will be playing for the Phoenix Suns next season.
Jackson, a 6-foot-8 Detroit native who averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds a game in his one-and-done season at KU, on Thursday night was selected by the Suns with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
Jackson, one of 20 players to accept invitations to sit in the green room of Barclays Center, became the 17th Jayhawk and 11th in the Bill
Self era to be chosen in the lottery (top 14 picks). The lottery began in 1985.
Jackson was chosen first-team all-Big 12 and conference freshman of the year after setting KU freshman records with 258 rebounds, 13 double-doubles and 220 field-goals made. He was also a Wooden All-America selection, Big 12 player of the week twice and newcomer of the week seven times.
Kings select Fox
The Sacramento Kings have selected Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox with the fifth pick in the NBA draft.
Sacramento had a glaring need for a point guard with Darren Collison, Ty
Lawson and Langston Galloway all headed to unrestricted free agency next month and general manager Vlade Divac pounced Thursday when Fox was available. Fox averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.
Mavs pounce on Smith
The Dallas Mavericks have taken North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. with the ninth overall pick in the NBA draft.
President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said before the draft Thursday night that point guard was the team’s biggest need, and the club decided to address it. Smith will get a strong chance to start with the Mavericks believing that
Yogi Ferrell is better-suited to a backup role even though he made a splash that earned him a two-year deal after the undrafted rookie joined the Mavericks on a 10-day contract.