We are over 10 years removed from the 2015 NBA Draft, the first of three consecutive years in which the Los Angeles Lakers held the No. 2 overall pick. That year, they selected D’Angelo Russell, a combo guard out of Ohio State who would join Julius Randle as the first true young core pieces for the Lakers.
Karl-Anthony Towns was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the class, going from John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns was slated to be the next great big man in Timberwolves history after Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love. But Calipari had a different idea about how he wanted Towns’ future to go.
When discussing the pre-draft process for Utah Jazz No. 5 pick Ace Bailey, Calipari recounted times of players foolishly wanting to drop from the top of the draft to land in a specific place. But he also recalled trying to convince Towns to join the Lakers and let someone else be drafted No. 1, via The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN:
“Well, first of all, I can tell you that sitting at that table is the worst thing in the world. Because you don’t know, because everybody’s lying. So you don’t know where the kid’s getting drafted. But I’ve had multiple players say ‘I’m not being drafted by that team, I’ve already told them.’ And I’m like ‘Are you nuts? That’s three picks down, why would you?’ ‘Because I’m not going there.’ And they were right and I was wrong. When Karl-Anthony Towns was getting drafted, the Lakers wanted him, and they were the 2 pick. And I said ‘You may want to be the 2 pick and be in L.A. and not Minnesota.’ And he said ‘No, I’ll wear a coat. I want to be the number 1 pick.’ And he enjoyed his time there.”
Towns was absolutely correct in wanting to be drafted No. 1 overall. That’s an honor that only so many players in NBA history have, and since 1979 was about a 50-50 success rate in ending up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Being a No. 1 pick comes with significant pressure, but Towns was more than ready for it.
Towns’ career trajectory today is likely not one he would give up to have instead joined the Lakers at No. 2 in 2015. Russell was traded within two years to the Brooklyn Nets, and has since bounced around the league, now with the Dallas Mavericks. Still, it’s a crazy hypothetical to imagine where L.A. would be today if Towns had chosen that route.
2025-26 could be LeBron James’ last with Lakers
The Lakers have always been an organization built on superstars and since 2018, LeBron James has been the clear face of the franchise. But that changed in 2025 when the team swung a shocking deal to acquire superstar guard Luka Doncic.
At 26 years old, Doncic is just entering the prime of his career while James is at the tail end, despite still being one of the best players in the NBA. Regardless, the Lakers are beginning to move in the direction of building the roster around Luka and that could actually be spelling the end of LeBron’s tenure in Los Angeles.
With the Lakers choosing not to offer James any type of contract extension this summer, it looks as if the 2025-26 season could be his last in a purple and gold uniform if he chooses to continue playing beyond this season.
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