Lakers Rumors: Latest Buzz on Draft Plans, Free-Agent Targets and More

The biggest news around the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason so far is the hiring of coach Luke Walton.

Landing the second pick in the upcoming draft wasn’t unexpected for L.A., especially not in the hindsight of a by-the-books draft lottery. It’s easy to presume the Lakers might look to deal the pick or otherwise select an elite prospect by the name of Brandon Ingram or Ben Simmons. 

A slow start to the offseason could snowball into something major in a hurry, though. This is the offseason Lakers fans must have circled for years, especially once Kobe Bryant revealed his retirement plans.

As such, it’s best to dive into the situation prepared. Let’s narrow down the buzz around the franchise by breaking down the nuggets to know.

 

Filling Out the Staff

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Walton has yet to fill out his coaching staff.

While that’s not a major concern at this point of the offseason, it’s never good to see a setback when a candidate decides to go elsewhere.

Such is the case with new Memphis Grizzlies’ associate head coach JB Bickerstaff, according to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Sources: Memphis has reached agreement with JB Bickerstaff as associate head coach. Lakers were among teams pursuing him.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 2, 2016

Bickerstaff directed the Houston Rockets as best he could this past season after the team canned Kevin McHale 11 games into the season. According to ESPN.com, he withdrew his name from the head coaching search in Houston and weighed Los Angeles before putting ink to paper with Memphis.

Losing out to Memphis, which went 42-40 last year and could lose big-name point Mike Conley to free agency, isn’t the best sign.

At the least, Los Angeles’ interest in Bickerstaff continues the team’s theme of wanting to surround Walton with as much experience as possible as he attempts to build and guide a young stable of players into a new era.

Said era won’t include Bickerstaff, but expect similarly experienced coaches to be on the wish …

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