Lakers Draft News: De’Aaron Fox says he would ‘love’ to have Magic Johnson mentor him

De’Aaron Fox is reportedly one of the four players the Los Angeles Lakers are considering if they keep their top-three protected pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and it sounds like he’d end up in purple and gold if he had his way.

Fox told Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times that “he would love to have (Lakers President Magic Johnson) as a mentor” after speaking to the Lakers front office at the 2017 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Fox also made it clear he’s been focused on getting Johnson’s attention for a while, ever since the new Lakers executive attended his game against UCLA in the Sweet 16.

“When someone like Magic’s in the gym you start seeing people flock toward him,” Fox told Ganguli. “We talked about the game that I put on a show. If that sits with him well, I could possibly end up in L.A.”

If Fox does end up in Los Angeles, he would instantly add a dose of speed and athleticism to the Lakers’ backcourt alongside the more methodical D’Angelo Russell, and bring some defensive prowess to boot. Draft Express says Fox is the fifth-best prospect in the draft, but the Lakers have Fox at least inside their top-four, and he has reportedly surpassed Lonzo Ball of UCLA on some draft boards.

If the Lakers lose their pick this is all a moot point, but if Fox’s enthusiasm to work with Johnson is mirrored by other players around the league, it’s just one example of how the team’s front office changes could benefit the Lakers moving forward.

And hey, at the very least they probably weren’t the worst interviewers at the combine:

Here is an updating list of every player the Lakers have worked out or met with. Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.