When is the NBA draft? Tuesday, and the Lakers are set to use the 25th pick in the first round on a player who fills a roster need. The decision lands with up to nine free agents on the books this summer and a front office trying to add depth around Luka Doncic.
Rob Pelinka’s roster target
Last month, Rob Pelinka said the priority was clear: “Depth is really important, athleticism and youth. We have a lot of components of that on our roster, but we need to add to it,” he said. He added, “I think those are some of the key North Stars that we need to look at.”
The Lakers’ search has narrowed to a center who can serve as a lob threat or an athletic wing who can defend and knock down three-pointers. That choice fits the way the roster is being built, with LeBron James an unrestricted free agent and Austin Reaves expected to opt out of his $14.8 million deal and sign for up to five years and about $241 million.
Names linked to Los Angeles
Jayden Quaintance, Dailyn Swain and Isaiah Evans are among the players attached to the Lakers by NBA executives and mock drafts. Quaintance is the 6-9 Kentucky center, and he played in only four games last season because of health concerns, which leaves him as a possible slide candidate at No. 25.
Swain is 6-7 and Evans is 6-6, giving the Lakers two wing options if the board breaks that way. The team also spent time in Spain looking at Sergio de Larrea, while many NBA scouts see him going later in the first round or even in the second round.
Wednesday offers no extra pick
Braden Smith, the 6 feet Purdue point guard who played four years in college, also drew attention after the Lakers were impressed by his workout. Rob Pelinka has already pointed to Ajay Mitchell as an example of a second-round pick who flourished, but the Lakers do not have a pick in Wednesday’s second round.
That makes Tuesday the swing point. The Lakers can keep the 25th pick and use it on a center or wing that helps immediately, or move the selection before the draft ends; after the draft, later first-round picks cannot be moved until after the draft. With the Lakers swept by Oklahoma City in the second round of the playoffs last month, the No. 25 choice carries real weight in the next roster build.
