Ainge: Lonzo Ball Refuses To Work Out For Celtics Ahead Of NBA Draft
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the first-overall selection, the Celtics will have their pick of the litter when the NBA Draft rolls around next month.
But one of the top projected picks is refusing to work out for them.
Celtics president of basketball ops Danny Ainge joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Thursday morning on his way to New York for a Draft workout, and said UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball has declined an invite to work with the team.
"It's not ideal," Ainge joked. "We've drafted guys who wouldn't come in for workouts before. It's not the end of the world."
Ainge said players declining a workout with a team isn't too uncommon. The Celtics' roster is currently loaded at the guard position, so it appears Ball would prefer to go somewhere where he could make an immediate impact.
"They're making their priorities. Sometimes they don't want to come in not because they don't like you, but they see our roster and would prefer to go to another team," he said, adding that Ball's camp did not give a reason for declining the workout.
"We tried to get him in for a workout and they politely declined," he said.
Ball is projected to be the second-overall pick in most mock drafts after Washington guard Markelle Fultz.
Listen to Ainge's full interview on Toucher & Rich here, including the latest on Isaiah Thomas' hip injury: