The Los Angeles Lakers made an initial trade on Day 1 of the NBA Draft, swapping spots with the New York Knicks from No. 25 to No. 24 where they selected Baylor wing Cameron Carr. And with the second round of the draft on Wednesday, the Lakers made another trade, acquiring the No. 56 pick from the Chicago Bulls for cash, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Last season, the Lakers had a second round pick of similar range which they ended up trading up to No. 36 where they selected Adou Thiero. It’s possible the Lakers employ a similar strategy and try to move up in the second round to target a player they really want. Thiero was a first round talent who ended up slipping in the draft.
Currently, ClutchPoints’ NBA mock draft for the second round has the Lakers selecting Rafael Castro from George Washington, that is if they end up keeping the No. 56 pick and not moving up. Castro is a big man who is rather solid defensively and would help the team’s frontcourt depth.
The Lakers have had success in recent years regarding the second round of the draft. The team is high Thiero’s talent and his potential in terms of becoming a legitimate NBA rotation player. And the year before last, the team’s second round pick was Bronny James who is developed into a legitimate reserve guard in the league as well.
There usually isn’t much expectation placed on second round picks, and with the inception of two-way contracts, many of them have increasingly found their way on NBA rosters.
