The decision of point guard prospect D'Angelo Rusell to cancel his scheduled workout with the Philadelphia 76ers over the weekend has triggered speculations that he may have already gotten assurance of ending up in the top 2 on the draft board.
Russell, touted by most NBA scouts as the best point guard prospect in this year's draft, had a last minute withdraw from this weekend's private workout with the Sixers, who hold the no.3 pick, because of illness.
"D'Angelo Russell canceled this weekend's scheduled workout with the 76ers after getting "real sick," according to a source close to the former Ohio State standout. Another source said don't rule out the franchise securing a workout with Russell in the near future," according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
With Karl Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor looking liked a 'slam dunk' choice to go 1-2 in the draft, Russell is viewed as the next best talent available, as scouts and league insiders expected him to be selected by the Sixers at no.3. The Sixers have a huge hole to fill in its backcourt after trading former Rookie of the Year winner Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline.
However, Russell's sudden withdrawal from this weekend's workout, where he would be given more opportunity to prove himself worthy of being selected at no.3, has prompted several NBA scribes, including Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, to speculate that he might have received some assurance either from the Wolves or the Lakers.
Despite the overwhelming offensive skills of Okafor, the consensus no.2 draft pick on multiple Mock Drafts, the Lakers aren't ruling out the possibility of going small by picking Russell over the Duke big man. The Wolves, on the other hand, have also expressed interest in the former Buckeyes standout, though scouts and league insiders aren't sure if they would blow the opportunity of picking Towns.