LA Lakers Rumors: Team Lost Interest in Pursuing Dragan Bender; Player May Play For Celtics
Croatian-born Dragan Bender is becoming an international NBA draft sensation largely to his hardcourt versatility. In his case, he doesn't need to woo a number of teams ahead of the offseason draft. Previously, Lakers expressed interest in his promising talent but had since been dropped from the talent radar after the team secured the overall No.2 pick. But Celtics could be a potential destination for Bender with their No.3 pick.
The basketball sensation has made quite a headline among talent scouts as a professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Standing at 7'1" and weighing 225lbs, Bender is an interesting cocktail of size and skill that triggered interest among teams who can step out to make a three-pointer or make a dent inside and defend the basket despite his low minutes.
But with LA Lakers' overall No.2 pick, the team is likely to choose either LSU's Ben Simmons or Duke's Brandon Ingram. For now, GM Mitch Kupchak is unlikely to part the highly coveted pick to a promising international player who had seen few minutes of action with the Israeli basketball team, Lakers Nation reported.
This is where Boston Celtics comes in with their No. 3 pick. Boston doesn't expect to draft the league's top two favorites. Unless the front office lands a nice deal to move out of the slot, Bender appears to be the most preferable draftee left to choose from.
Per Bleacher Report, Bender fits into Boston's roster needs with his versatile gameplay which enables him to shoot long-range in three different spots. While the team already has Isaiah Thomas and others in the backcourt, getting Bender to play from underneath the basket could give the Celtics a big boost in their campaign march to the playoffs next season.
So getting dropped from Lakers' talent radar is not entirely unfortunate for Bender. Other teams are reportedly sizing him up as he is also scheduled to do a workout for the Phoenix Suns (No.4 pick) and Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 5 pick), CBS Boston reported.
