Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridg (Photo : REUTERS)
LaMarcus Aldridge's increasingly growing interest to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason has reportedly led the team to select Ohio State Buckeyes point guard D'Angelo Russell over Duke Blue Devils' big man Jahlil Okafor, according to several sources.
The Lakers were projected to select Okafor with the no.2 overall pick days heading into this year's NBA Draft, with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reporting that the Blue Devils standout was a lock to go to the Lakers.
In a surprising turn of events, The Lakers had change of heart hours before Thursday draft, as reports coming from multiple sources indicated that Russell had already taken over Okafor's spot on the draft board. The Lakers eventually selected the Buckeyes standout, believing his star potential is too much to pass out.
However, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express suggested that there's more than meets the eye in Russell's selection. He thinks the Lakers are confident about their ability to sign Aldridge, this summer's best available free-agent not named LeBron James, so they decided to pick a point guard who would complement the big man's playing style.
Bleacher Report NBA analysts Howard Beck and Ric Bucher also lauded the Lakers' decision to select a playmaker over a center, as it would make them more a appealing destination for free-agent big men such as Aldridge, Kevin Love and Marc Gasol.
ESPN NBA insider Chris Broussard reported that Aldridge already informed the Portland Trail Blazer he won't to re-sign with the team. The Dallas Mavericks were the front-runners to land the Dallas native Aldridge, but Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported the Lakers are now in contention for the double-double machine alongside the San Antonio Spurs.
