The Los Angeles Lakers had the most tension in the draft lottery because they could drop from 2nd to 32nd if two teams got lucky.
The teams did not budge and it made mock draft creators celebrate as their pre-lottery projections could hold-for now.
For the Lakers, the no.2 position is actually the most enviable because the Ben Simmons - Brandon Ingram debate is too close to call. Better to place the burden on the no.1 pick and take whoever is left behind.
This case was reminiscent of the Greg Oden - Kevin Durant debate in 2007. The outcome of the Portland Trail Blazers' decision still haunts them now, nine years since. The OKC Thunder aka "fake Sonics" are now three games away from their 2nd Finals appearance while the Blazers are happy to reach the postseason.
Nine years from now, will sportswriters still have a Simmons-Ingram debate? Both could turn out to be All-Stars as projected now so that should make a team happy with either one of them, right?
The Philadelphia 76ers are tasked to make that choice and based on reports from Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report.
"The Philadelphia 76ers are leaning heavily toward taking Simmons on June 23, according to league sources, with the No. 1 overall pick they landed in the NBA draft lottery Tuesday night," Ding declared.
Ding also reiterated that this is not bad news for the Lakers. "That would set the Los Angeles Lakers up at No. 2 with Ingram, who already wowed them in his May 11 interview on opening day of the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Ingram's drive to be great and dedication to winning, according to sources, resonated deeply with the Lakers' front-office contingent," Ding concluded.
So all's well that ends well for both teams? Not so fast.
The Sixers have been targeting Simmons for quite some time now and it was speculated that Sam Hinkie's "Process" would end with his acquisition. The asset collection had to stop at some point and Simmons was supposed to be last piece of the puzzle.
However, there are quarters who believe that the Lakers really want Ben Simmons despite their seemingly passive stance to accept whoever is left on the board. Also, Simmons himself has openly declared his preference to wear purple and gold.
Lakers Nation confirmed just hours before the lottery that the Lakers also prefer Simmons simply because of his star potential. Simmons is a high school teammate of last year's 2nd overall pick D'Angelo Russell and already has a significant following on social media.
It is possible that the Lakers exercise their preference by trading up if the price is not steep. One example is removing the protections (top 3) from the Lakers 2017 Draft pick that is owed to the Sixers (because they did not convey this year's selection). If the Lakers remove the protection, the pick is assured to go to the Sixers.
If the Sixers ask for more than that, the Lakers would probably pass. Ingram is also a good player who played under Coach K in Duke. He may actually be a better fit for the Lakers than Simmons is because he is a natural small forward with length and shooting.