Chris Livingston schedules workout with Los Angeles Lakers

With less than one week until the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, Chris Livingston is still exploring his options. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Livingston is working out for the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow, along with Kihei Clark (Virginia), Leonard Miller (Ignite), Adam Flagler (Baylor), Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine), and DaRon Holmes II (Dayton). The Lakers have the Nos. 17 and 47 picks in next month’s NBA Draft.

At the NBA Draft Combine last week, Livingston told reporters he hadn’t worked out for any teams yet but had a workout scheduled with the Boston Celtics (Pick No. 35) and had met with the Utah Jazz (Pick Nos. 9, 16, and 28) and the Detroit Pistons (Picks Nos. 5 and 31). As of now, he isn’t listed on any of the major mock drafts. ESPN ranks him as the No. 66 best available prospect. Livingston declined to participate in scrimmages at the combine, which led to speculation he may have a guarantee from a team, but he shot that down in a conversation with the Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a guarantee with something like this,” Livingston said. “It’s more so me betting on myself to begin with. And also just positive feedback — teams are blunt. This is the NBA. This is a grown man’s league. A team is going to tell you if they think you’re not ready. If you’re not ready for this next step. But I haven’t heard anything like that so far. And I don’t think I will later on during the process. (But) that’s something I’m listening for.”

In his freshman season at Kentucky, Livingston averaged 6.3 points (42.9% FG) and 4.2 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. He, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Antonio Reeves have until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 31 to decide whether or not to stay in the draft or return to school.

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The latest on Kentucky’s Stay-or-Go Decisions

Last night, Jack Pilgrim shared what he’s hearing about Livingston, Oscar, and Reeves. For Livingston, Klutch (his agency) plays a big part.

“Elsewhere, pessimism remains regarding Livingston’s potential return. Klutch recently announced the freshman forward as a member of its 2023 NBA Draft class, joining the likes of Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas) and Dereck Lively II (Duke). He’s still going through the workout process and the door hasn’t been closed completely on either side, but the expectation remains that he ultimately takes a shot on himself in the league now. His decision to opt out of five-on-five at the Draft Combine in Chicago was a head-scratcher, but the hope is Klutch can talk a franchise into selecting the Akron native.”

For more on Livingston, Reeves, and Oscar, I’ll direct you to Jack’s post from last night.