The Lakers and Mavs have made another trade, but this time with slightly lower stakes.
After trading into the second round, LA ultimately did not make a selection, instead trading the No. 56 pick, Vsevolod Ischenko, to the Mavericks for cash.
LA originally moved up into the draft by sending cash to the Bulls for the No. 56 pick. Most expected them to follow up by making more deals to move up in the draft. However, that never happened.
Instead, the Lakers sat pat and watched Henri Veesaar fall with most expecting him to land with the Lakers. The big man from North Carolina was expected to go as high as the first round but plummeted down the board. However, the Hawks jumped LA and selected him, leaving the Lakers without any options.
It’s pretty clear the team bought the pick with the expectation of targeting someone or multiple players but, by the time they were on the clock, those targets weren’t available.
Ultimately, the team moved the pick. It’s unclear how much money was involved in either transaction, whether from the Lakers to the Bulls or from the Mavs to the Lakers. It probably wouldn’t be a great look if the Lakers lost money in this deal, but it was a gamble that only really cost them Mark Walter’s money and his has plenty to spare.
At the end of the day, it turned out to be much ado about nothing. The Lakers did not add another draft pick and will turn to undrafted free agency to find the next Austin Reaves.
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