Lakers Rumors: Latest Rumblings on Ben Simmons and LA’s 2016 Draft Plans

The Los Angeles Lakers remain the most interesting team in the NBA despite the superb postseason battles raging this month.

It has little to do with the Lakers we’ve known, too, with Kobe Bryant gone and the franchise slogging through one of the league’s most significant rebuilds.

No, it has more to do with the fact that new head coach Luke Walton still has to round out his coaching staff. It has to do with general manager Mitch Kupchak, who clutches the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA draft and is expected to make a gigantic effort this summer in free agency.

As for the coaching staff, it sounds like Brian Shaw has come full circle, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

Brian Shaw and the Lakers are nearing a deal for him to become Luke Walton’s lead assistant coach, according to several sources.

— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) May 21, 2016

Shaw acted as an assistant coach with the Lakers from 2005-2011 but fizzled out as coach of the Denver Nuggets, leading the franchise to a 30-52 mark in the 2014-15 season before getting the boot.

This only gets a mention because Shaw’s addition could not only influence whether free agents want to join the Lakers, but also the draft plan.

And said draft plan remains up in the air even after the franchise took a major gamble on the lottery and won big with No. 2. As Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding pointed out recently, Kupchak isn’t afraid to seek out a major trade:

Still, the Lakers will actively explore trading the pick. They want to get better as soon as possible—in part to make sure Philadelphia doesn’t get too good of a pick next year when the Lakers’ first-rounder conveys to the 76ers if it’s outside the top three. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is also seeking a better blend of youth and experience on the roster.

Most should have seen this coming. One of Ben …

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