{"id":18405,"date":"2024-12-18T06:58:22","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T06:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18405"},"modified":"2024-12-18T06:58:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T06:58:29","slug":"breaking-jayson-tatum-agent-explains-why-he-refused-lakers-draft-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=18405","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Jayson Tatum Agent Explains Why He Refused Lakers Draft Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Feb<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Boston is certainly happy that Los Angeles passed on its eventual best player.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The reigning champion Boston Celtics must certainly be happy that the Los Angeles Lakers passed on drafting Boston’s eventual best player, four-time All-NBA power forward Jayson Tatum, in 2017.<\/p>\n

But how it all went down has been a matter of some dispute in recent days.<\/p>\n

While appearing on one-time Celtics teammate Jeff Teague’s podcast “Club 520,” Tatum claimed that, though he was top draft prospect coming out of Duke, Los Angeles never even worked him out. The Lakers had the No. 2 overall pick. Tatum eventually was taken third, when the Celtics swapped picks with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers selected Washington point guard Markelle Fultz with the No. 1 pick they landed from Boston. Fultz has struggled with health issues and is currently an unrestricted free agent as of this writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I grew up a Kobe fan,\u201d Tatum told Teague. \u201cI always wanted to play for the Lakers. For them to have the No. 2 pick and it was like it wasn\u2019t even a thought that I was going to get drafted, that was kind of devastating so I never worked out for the Lakers. They never came to watch me work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Los Angeles Lakers team president Magic Johnson, who was in charge of the club’s roster decisions at the time of that draft, chose to respond to Tatum’s claim on SiriusXM show “NBA Today,” hosted by Eddie Johnson and Justin Termine.<\/p>\n

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[Jayson Tatum\u2019s] agent didn\u2019t want him to work out for [the Lakers]\u2026because we already had too many forwards<\/p>\n

Magic Johnson, Lakers Pres. of Basketball Operations (Feb. 2017\u2013Apr. 2019), tells @JumpShot8<\/a> and @TermineRadio<\/a> why LA didn\u2019t draft Jayson Tatum with the 2nd overall pick pic.twitter.com\/SYQjOF3854<\/a><\/p>\n

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n