Lakers NBA Draft: Emmanuel Mudiay skipping NBA Draft combine, according to report

The NBA Draft combine is set to take place in Chicago from May 12-17, but top prospect Emmanuel Mudiay will likely skip the event, reports Shams Charania of Real GM. The Los Angeles Lakers will definitely take a look at Mudiay, so long as they retain their 2015 first-round pick, making this an important development.

Mudiay spurned Larry Brown and SMU, deciding he'd instead take his talents overseas to China. He's since returned and was expected to reunite with Brown as he prepared for the draft. Mudiay was considered the top guard prospect before the college season played out, leaving space for D'Angelo Russell to force his way into that conversation.

Even if Mudiay doesn't go to the combine he'll likely hold individual workouts with teams that end up at the top of the lottery. The Lakers accommodated Julius Randle last season, working him out privately while several teams questioned if he could play immediately because of an issue with a screw in his foot.

The combine could have been a good opportunity for Mudiay to measure up against his contemporaries, but there's plenty of time for him to do that. It becomes a question of why not now, when one of the red flags regarding Mudiay was the lack of exposure available since he played at a limited capacity overseas.