Lakers Make Another Draft-Day Trade After Moving Up to Land Cameron Carr

During the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers traded up to No. 24 to acquire the New York Knicks’ pick, resulting in the storied franchise bringing in Baylor product Cameron Carr.

Heading into the second round of the draft, the Lakers didn’t possess a pick, but that didn’t stop them from making another trade.

Lakers Acquire No. 56 Pick From the Bulls

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Lakers have officially traded into the second round by acquiring the Chicago Bulls’ pick at No. 56 overall. Los Angeles has sent cash to Chicago to get the second-round pick, which is the fifth-to-last selection in the draft.

Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring No. 56 from the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the NBA draft tonight at 8 pm ET on ESPN. Lakers sent cash to the Bulls to get a pick tonight.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2026

This is another interesting move by the Lakers’ new-look front office, as they don’t tend to value young players, but that could be changing under new team owner Mark Walter, who wants to mold the front office by like the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With Carr addressing addressing a need in terms of potentially being a talented 3-and-D wing, the Lakers might try to bring in a center at No. 56.

The ideal selection would likely be Henri Veesar out of the University of North Carolina, but it might be a stretch to see the fall that far in the draft. The Lakers might need to make another move to grab the former Tar Heels star.

Other notable centers available include Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia), Nate Bittle (Oregon), Oscar Cluff (Purdue), Ernest Udeh Jr. (Miami) and Jalen Washington (Vanderbilt).

A Few Players Remain Available From Lakers' Pre-Draft Workouts

Mar 28, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) drives to the basket defended by Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The real question heading into the second round is whether there’s a player in particular the Lakers are targeting. It’s also unclear if the team’s goal is to bring in a big or address another area of need.

Ironically, center is the thinnest position in terms of options in the second round. There are quite a few guards and forwards left in the mix, with plenty of them likely going undrafted and potentially signing deals after the NBA Draft comes to an end on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center.

Among the other positions, a few notable players stick out because they actually a pre-draft workout with the Lakers. Those players include Cluff, Josh Dix (Creighton), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State) and Peter Suder (Miami OH).

Perhaps one of these players intrigued Rob Pelinka and company enough for them to trade back into the draft.

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