Lakers draft 2015: Lakers have 'one of the best international scouts in the business'

The Los Angeles Lakers are all hands on deck in El Segundo, Cali. but their scouting reach goes much further than that. The Lakers' basketball operations team includes "one of the best international scouts in the business," according to DraftExpress. This scout works out of Spain, where the ACB league -- one of the more competitive international legaues -- runs.

The Lakers have drafted international prospects throughout recent years, and it only makes sense they have a large presence in Spain. Big man Guillermo Hernangomez is projected to the Lakers with the No. 27 pick in DraftExpress' latest mock draft, which brought out the interesting tidbit of information of a front office known to keep their processes quiet.

The Lakers did identify Marc Gasol as a talent when he was selected and kept in Europe for a season, so it's not surprising to hear they've put a premium on scouting players outside of the United States. Mitch Kupchak could elect to take a shot at a lesser-known talent from overseas, which would allow him a chance to better-manage the young talent on the roster.

This scout -- as found by @KajSkyHook33 -- is Antonio Maceiras. Here's a brief excerpt from a lengthy inteview with Maceiras from 2012, via heinnews:

heinnews: What do the Lakers want from you in this new position?

Maceiras: The Lakers mainly want - like every NBA team - to get control of the European market. It's clear that in the latest seasons that the flow of European players to the NBA is steady or even increasing so they want to keep this market under control. And I think I can bring to them my expertise in this business and my knowledge of the European market and my experience.

heinnews: The Lakers have not really drafted many European players over the years. Do you think that's something that might change over the next couple of years?

Maceiras: This could change at any moment. Previously, the only European player I can think of that they drafted was Marc Gasol when I was the GM with Alasvayu Girona. This was a very successful pick because that allowed them to trade Marc for Pau. Right now there are some interesting options in the European market. The draft though is a complicated process. It's not like one player will fit what you like in the order of the picks. You can never predict what's going to happen. I'm working as if this market is going to be very, very important for the Lakers.

Kupchak recently traveled overseas to scout incoming draft prospects, which lends further credence the Lakers will consider taking a player like Hernagomez that could be a value pick since it's a riskier move. Los Angeles has three draft picks, and Mitch has noted the difficulty of bringing in three rookies at once.