Lakers Draft Carr
Lakers Acquire No. 24 Pick, Select Cameron Carr, Standout Guard from Stanford
The Los Angeles Lakers traded up one spot on draft night to select Cameron Carr with the No. 24 overall pick, sending cash to the New York Knicks to complete the move, according to NBC Sports. Carr, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Baylor, averaged 18.9 points per game and shot 37.4% from three-point range in his first season with the Bears.
Analysts quickly labeled Carr a "steal of the draft," noting he was projected to go as high as the mid-teens before sliding to No. 24. His 43-inch vertical leap — the highest recorded at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine — drew comparisons to elite perimeter athletes, per Hoops Rumors.
Lakers Move Up One Spot Using Only Cash
The Lakers held the No. 25 pick before dealing cash considerations to New York to jump one spot, Silver Screen and Roll reported. The Knicks selected Carr on the Lakers' behalf at No. 24 before the trade was confirmed. Using cash instead of players or picks is a key loophole for teams near the NBA's luxury tax limits.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations, drove the move. He identified Carr as a fit next to star Luka Doncic, targeting his floor spacing and a 7-foot-1 wingspan that gives him rare length for a guard. Carr is now expected to compete for an immediate rotation spot.
Carr's Road From Tennessee to Baylor to No. 24
Carr's path to the first round was anything but straight. He played just 18 games at Tennessee before transferring to Baylor for the 2025-26 season. His breakout began at the 2025 World University Games, and he followed it with a strong Big 12 season that earned him third-team All-Big 12 honors, according to SI.
Early draft reports confused Carr with Ebuka Okorie, a 6-foot-2 guard from Stanford who actually led the ACC in scoring at 23.2 points per game as a freshman. The Detroit Pistons selected Okorie at No. 17 after trading three second-round picks to move up, per NBC Sports.
Grizzlies Collect Five Second-Round Picks in One Night
Memphis was the busiest team of the evening. The Grizzlies traded the No. 16 pick to Oklahoma City for No. 17 and two future second-rounders, per NBC Sports. Minutes later, they flipped No. 17 to Detroit for No. 21 and three more second-round picks — giving Memphis five total second-rounders in a single night.
Detroit used No. 17 to land Okorie, whom analyst Kevin O'Connor called the "best driving guard in the class," according to NY Post. The Pistons gave up three assets to get him, a move Pistons president Trajan Langdon made to add a secondary creator alongside Cade Cunningham rather than replace him.
Scouts See Upside — and Some Red Flags — for Carr
Most analysts praised the Lakers' efficiency. Moving up just one spot for cash while landing a projected lottery talent was widely called a low-risk, high-reward move. Carr's 43-inch vertical and defensive length address a real need for a Los Angeles team that struggled on the perimeter last season, NBC Sports noted.
Not everyone is sold. Some scouts flagged a thumb injury that cut short Carr's time at Tennessee, questioning whether his one strong year at Baylor is enough of a sample size. Still, with Dalton Knecht fighting for consistent minutes, Carr enters a rotation with room to grow.
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