After entering Thursday without any assets in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Lakers have reportedly acquired a second-round pick following a deal with the Magic. The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the No. 35 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from the Orlando Magic, first reported by multiple sources before being officially confirmed by the Lakers. In exchange, the Lakers are sending out a future second-round pick and cash.
Los Angeles landed Orlando’s No. 35 pick in exchange for a future second-round pick and cash, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Prior to the deal, the Lakers’ only selection in this year’s draft (No. 8) belonged to the Pelicans, thanks to the blockbuster 2019 trade that brought Anthony Davis to L.A.
They are also expected to be active in the trade and free agency markets, and have already been linked to a couple of targets. In addition to Christie, the Lakers signed a couple of undrafted free agents to two-way deals.
LA Lakers on the verge of signing Scottie Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider to two-way contracts
The LA Lakers have been very good at finding undrafted gems in the past few years. The Lakers unearthed Alex Caruso in 2017, while Austin Reaves was a surprise contributor last season. This offseason, they have already signed two undrafted prospects to two-way deals. Meanwhile, Swider is a sharpshooting guard from Syracuse. He spent the first three seasons of his college career at Villanova before honing his skills under Jim Boeheim. He averaged 13.9 points per game in his final season with Syracuse, while shooting 47.3% from beyond the arc.
Clippers sharpshooter considered perfect trade target for Lakers
The LA Clippers' Luke Kennard led the league in 3-point shooting percentage last season at 44.9%. It's one of the reasons why Jason Reed of Lake Show Life called Kennard the perfect trade target for the LA Lakers. Reed noted that Kennard can perfectly complement LeBron James.
Reed pointed out that Kennard's shooting would be a perfect fit for the Lakers. Shooting has been one of their weaknesses over the past few seasons. James' playmaking is much better if he's surrounded by knockdown shooters. The only problem in Kennard is his defensive ability.
According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Clippers have made Kennard available this offseason. However, team president Lawrence Frank refuted the report and praised Kennard for his season with the Clippers.
LA Lakers to sign Kemba Walker
The last time the Lakers bought a draft pick, ironically, it also came from the Magic. In 2019, the Lakers bought the No. 46 pick from Orlando and selected Talen Horton-Tucker. Coincidentally, he is also the last player the Lakers drafted.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had expressed a desire to trade for a draft pick and utilize their scouting department that has made a habit of finding diamonds in the rough. A bit surprisingly, the Lakers were able to work out a trade ahead of the draft itself.
Even despite not having a pick during the pre draft process, the Lakers had brought in a number of prospects that were considered second-round picks for workouts. That confidence in their ability to acquire a pick clearly paid off and now the Lakers are positioned to take advantage of those workouts.
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