The Los Angeles Lakers are close to the end of their fourth straight losing season, and would need to be lucky to hold on to their top-three protected pick. But should the lottery favor their odds, one of the league’s marquee franchises would be pleased to know that projected lottery pick Lonzo Ball, would love to play with them.

Lonzo Ball made an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday, where he professed his preference to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. “At the end of the day, I’ll play for any team – the NBA is the NBA,” Ball said. “But it would be a blessing to be able to play for the Lakers just because it’s in L.A. – I’m from here, my whole family’s here.”

Lonzo Ball is projected to be a top-three pick in what is being hyped as one of the deepest drafts in recent history. Ball recently declared for the draft following UCLA’s loss to Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen. The sharpshooter helped transform the Bruins to an instant contender with his one year in the program, averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and six rebounds per game.

As Reported by Bleacher Report, on Monday, Lonzo Ball was also named one of the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award – the honor given to the best college basketball player in the country. Ball emerged as the top freshman in the nation, playing the lead guard role for the UCLA offense that averaged the second-most points in the NCAA at 89.8. According to DraftExpress, he is the number two point guard in the coming draft class.

The Los Angeles Lakers currently have the second-worst record in the league. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, the team with the second-worst record will have a 55.7 percent of having a lottery pick in the top three. Should the Lakers’ miseries continue, and their pick falls out of the top three, that pick will go to the Philadelphia 76ers as a result of the 2012 trade for Steve Nash.

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