The 19-year-old has already reportedly interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in person and virtually met with the Golden State Warriors.
LaMelo Ball has reportedly caught the Detroit Pistons' eye, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. The team holds the No. 7 pick in the upcoming 2020 NBA draft.
General manager Troy Weaver said that "moving up is definitely an option." He added that the Pistons plan to schedule an interview with Ball soon.
The 19-year-old already has ties to the team through his mentor and manager Jermaine Jackson Sr., who is a former Piston and Motown native.
Ball has reportedly interviewed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who own the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft. He also confirmed he virtually met with the Warriors, who have the second pick.
However, there are rumors that the teenager has not been performing well in these interviews.
"Here is what I’m hearing from the league at large: LaMelo Ball is not performing very well at job interviews," The Charlotte Observer's Hornets reporter Rick Bonnell said on Sports Radio WFNZ. "I’ve heard that from multiple sources. He is not improving his perception via job interview. There are people drafting later in the top ten who were not preparing for the possibility of Ball still being around.
"And I’m not saying that he will not be a top-three pick. I am saying that I know for a fact that there are teams later in the top ten who are doing more research on him, because they no longer think it’s a given he will."
Ball played for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia this past season and is predicted to go No. 3 overall in Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo's latest mock draft. His 6-foot-7 frame combined with his playmaking ability and star power will be hard for NBA teams to overlook on Nov. 18.
Check out the latest news and notes from around the NBA.
- Unrestricted free agents Marcus and Markieff Morris signed with Wasserman agent Chafie Fields, who is one of the few agents that represents both NFL and NBA clients. (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- John Lucas reportedly signed a deal to join Stephen Silas and the Houston Rockets. He previously was in a player development role under former coach Mike D'Antoni. (Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN)
- The NBA's board of governors and players' association are meeting separately on Thursday in hopes of coming to an agreement on a start date for the upcoming season. Sources say player reps are expected to agree on the Dec. 22 start date and reduced 72-game schedule. (Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe, ESPN)
- The NBA is aiming to open arena suites for fans at 25-50% capacity based on local regulations. Courtside fans, if allowed, would reportedly be 10-12 feet away. Protocols reportedly include masks, social distancing and coronavirus testing. (Shams Charania, The Athletic)