Chad Ford NBA Mock Draft 2014: Los Angeles Lakers eyeing Dante Exum

The NBA Draft isn’t until next month but we’re now less than 20 days away from seeing when teams will pick after the lottery order has officially been drawn. One team hoping to position itself rather high in the order — not that all team’s aren’t thinking the same thing — are the Los Angeles Lakers. But what makes the Lakers different from their lottery brethren is that they usually don’t get an opportunity to pick as high as they likely will.

All of this has the Lakers zeroing in on one particular prospect that may keep them from trading their lottery pick even if it falls out of the top three, as ESPN’s Chad Ford is reporting in his latest mock draft that the Lakers have begun to eye Australian point guard Dante Exum.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been at least mildly following the Lakers draft interests, as they have an abhorrent point guard situation the last few years and need a young star for the future. That’s Exum as he’s being labeled the best player at his position and is expected to be a top three pick.

But Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Julius Randle could all cause Exm to tumble which would mean the Lakers staying at No. 6 — or even better moving up — could mean they land Exum and get the guard they’ve been coveting.