The Los Angeles Lakers had the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and opted to select guard Lonzo Ball over forward Jayson Tatum. Recently, Magic Johnson, who served as the Lakers’ President of Basketball Operations at the time, shared his reasoning behind the decision. However, Tatum’s agent, Jeff Wechsler, offered a different perspective on how the events unfolded.
It all started when Tatum revealed his disappointment during an interview, saying it was “kinda devastating” that the Lakers didn’t consider drafting him. Growing up as a fan of Kobe Bryant, Tatum admitted he had always dreamed of playing for the Lakers.
Days ago, Magic Johnson explained that the Lakers were looking to address a positional need, given that they already had several forwards on the roster, which made Ball a better fit.
Johnson also mentioned that Tatum’s agent discouraged him from working out for the Lakers, citing the team’s forward-heavy lineup at the time. “His agent didn’t want him to work out for us because he knew it wasn’t a good situation since we already had too many forwards,” Johnson said.
Jayson Tatum walks on stage with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted third overall by the Boston Celticsduring the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Jeff Wechsler sets the record straight
Tatum’s agent, Jeff Wechsler, addressed the situation during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, agreeing with parts of Johnson’s statement but offering more context.
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Magic Johnson reveals the real reason the Lakers didn’t draft Celtics star Jayson Tatum in 2017
“Magic’s correct in what he said, but the way it was presented was a little different,” Wechsler explained. “Everyone knows that the draft starts in June and guys finish at the end of March Madness, and they work out for months.”
Wechsler shared how Tatum had been training in Los Angeles leading up to the draft, but the Lakers never reached out to schedule a workout. “Jayson worked out in L.A. for months training with Drew Hanlen there, and the Lakers knew that he was in L.A. and never called. And in late June, they called and wanted to bring him in for a workout,” he continued. “But by that time, everyone knew they were taking Lonzo Ball.”
Wechsler explained his reasoning for turning down the Lakers’ late request: “So when Rob Pelinka called me and asked if they could work Jayson out, I said, ‘Well, if you’re not gonna take him, why are you working him out?’ So I said to get me on a call with Magic, and we’ll talk about it.”
“So [Pelinka] set that up a few days later. I get on a call with Magic—I think it was around June 13—and I said, ‘Magic, everyone knows you’re taking Lonzo Ball,’” he continued. “He goes, ‘Yeah, well, we’re really heavy at the forward position, and we need to take a point guard, so that’s probably who we’re gonna take.’”
“He said, ‘But we’d like to look at everybody.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, if you’re not gonna take my guy, he’s been out there all summer. He’s now in St. Louis, working out for other teams. I’m not gonna fly him back across the country for a workout when you guys aren’t gonna take him.’ And that’s how it went down,” Wechsler explained.
Tatum opens up about Lakers snub
On the Club 520 Podcast with Jeff Teague, Tatum reflected on how things played out with the Lakers, sharing his emotional reaction to being overlooked. “I grew up a Kobe fan. I always wanted to play for the Lakers,” Tatum said.
“For them to have the No. 2 pick [in the 2017 NBA Draft], it wasn’t even a thought that I was going to get drafted [by them],” he continued. “That was kinda devastating. So, I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me work out.”
