NBA Draft 2014: P.J. Hairston to work out for Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls

Despite missing an entire season of college basketball, former North Carolina P.J. Hairston has garnered a considerable amount of attention leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft. The most high-profile suitor of Hairston has been the New York Knicks, who reportedly seek to move up in the draft to target him, but with a workout list that includes both the Phoenix Suns (and their three first-round picks) and Philadelphia 76ers, the options continue to grow. As of Tuesday, those options reportedly include two big markets with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports that Hairston has scheduled workouts with both the Lakers and Bulls (in addition to the Hawks and Grizzlies), and both would be interesting fits. The Lakers currently hold the seventh overall selection, which would be a great reach for Hairston, so it would appear that Los Angeles would be targeting him early in the second round or via trade, while the Chicago Bulls hold the 16th and 19th picks, which could be logical landing spots for Hairston.

The 6-foot-5 swingman has a penchant for long-distance shooting, which is something that the Bulls surely desire at this stage, but more than that, P.J. Hairston is the rare case of a semi-proven asset who could have greatly improved over the past year. It remains to be seen as to where the North Carolina product will land, but if it isn’t somewhere in the first round, it will be a surprise.