Luke Walton will take over the Lakers after the Warriors’ season, so he – unlike the rest of his current organization – had a lot riding on last night’s lottery.
Would the Lakers land a top-two pick, allowing him to coach Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram? Or would they fall out of the top three, convey their pick to the 76ers and make Walton’s prospects much more dire?
Fortunately for Walton, the Lakers drew the No. 2 pick.
So, he could breathe easy, right?
Not immediately.
Bill Oram of The Orange County Register:
Before lottery, Warriors PR czar Raymond Ridder texted Luke Walton that Lakers got 4th pick. Luke fell for the prank, now has last laugh.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 18, 2016
C’mon, man! The Warriors are down 1-0 to the Thunder. Doesn’t Walton already have enough on his mind?
Also, remember when some criticized the Lakers for allowing a culture where D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young engaged in a prank war? Good teams do this, too. They just don’t record the most devastating elements and post them online.