When the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers won the first two picks in the 2015 NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday, things suddenly got a whole lot more interesting. At very the top of the draft, there's a team that is reportedly torn about who to select. Immediately afterward is one of the league's most storied franchises, in a major market, with a boatload of cap space in 2016.
Take Karl-Anthony Towns, who will almost certainly be taken No. 1 or No. 2. While he's said all the right things about wanting to play anywhere -- he even told the New York Post's Steve Serby that his imaginary friend, Karlito, wouldn't mind him playing in Antarctica -- the attractiveness of Los Angeles is obvious. The 19-year-old out of the University of Kentucky would get to learn from Kobe Bryant, who gave him a pep talk three years ago when Towns played for the Dominican Republic's national team against Team USA. He'd also become the future face of the franchise for a team that has a long history of building around great centers. Fellow former Wildcat Julius Randle would be next to him in the frontcourt, and the Lakers are sure to make a run at the big names in free agency next summer.
It's not as if the Timberwolves are unappealing. The prospect of teaming up with Andrew Wiggins has to be extremely exciting. No one dislikes catching passes from Ricky Rubio. Rather than Bryant, Kevin Garnett will likely be around to play the mentor role. It's just that you don't typically hear about draftees or their agents angling for Minnesota. Which is why stuff like this is being said already:
If Karl-Anthony Towns is determined to get to Lakers, it'll be interesting to see how agreeable his camp will be to meeting with Minnesota.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 20, 2015The Lakers do not have superior talent today. That might remain the case for a few more years, depending on what happens in free agency. As an impartial observer, it's more fun to picture Towns running with the Wolves as a rookie. From a long-term perspective, though, many would argue that the real winner here is whoever goes second. Los Angeles seems like a better fit for Towns than for Jahlil Okafor because of the presence of Randle, so it probably hopes this is what Towns' agent, Leon Rose, is thinking.
Minnesota, though, could wind up delivering Towns to the Lakers anyway. President and head coach Flip Saunders' teams have an old-school feel, and Okafor is a throwback player. The Duke big man is polished in the post, commanding double teams and passing out of them with ease. While most of the league appears to value Towns more highly, that might not be the case for the Wolves. If that's how they see things on draft night, then Minnesota might make any potential maneuvering moot.
