Looking back at what came of their draft night decisions in the 2017 NBA Draft, it is likely safe to say that the Los Angeles Lakers would prefer to have a mulligan. The Lakers, then operating under the helm of Hall of Fame player and then-team president of the Lakers Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Los Angeles passed on star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in the draft to take Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick of that year’s big event.
Ball of course is no slouch of a player, but injuries have sapped some of his potential at a critical moment in his career, and he is lucky to be playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers today in a reserve role given the travails his knee has given him. But why did the Lakers choose Ball over Tatum, in the end? Speaking in an interview on Sirius XM in 2024, the iconic Laker point forward broke down why he and L.A. elected to pass on Tatum in the draft.
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“We took a look at him, I was the president,” Johnson explained. “But the problem was … we were top-heavy in forwards. I couldn’t take him because we had Brandon Ingram, who was only in his second year, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., so I had already too many forwards.”
Mar 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dribbles the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the second quarter at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Now, it is easy enough to jump on Magic and point out that one does not draft for fit with the premium picks of the draft — and arguably any of them in the first round save extraordinary circumstances. But in fairness to the Lakers legend, it was not just the presence of those forwards on the roster pushing him to avoid taking Tatum.
Per Johnson, Tatum’s “agent also didn’t want him to work out for (the Lakers)…because we already had too many forwards.” Given the St. Louis native grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant and drafting for fit in the top three of the draft is a terrible plan, someone should have intervened along the way.
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But Boston fans don’t mind one bit that no one did.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Magic Johnson on why Lakers didn’t draft Celtics star Jayson Tatum