Lakers swap picks with Knicks, select wing Cameron Carr
In the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA draft, the Lakers made a trade with the New York Knicks, acquiring Cameron Carr, who the Knicks had selected with the 24th overall pick in the first round.
The Lakers then took guard Sergio De Larrea from Spain with the 25th pick and traded him to the NBA champion Knicks, along with cash considerations. The Lakers went to Spain recently to watch De Larrea work out.
Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka didn’t talk about the trade because the NBA had not made it official as of late Tuesday night. Carr was in New York at the draft, but he also didn’t speak with the media.
In need of athletic wing players on a team that could have up to nine free agents, the Lakers got one with 21-year-old Carr.
The 6-foot-5 Carr averaged 18.9 points per game at Baylor, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Carr shot 49.4% from the field and 37.4% from three-point range.
Most NBA draft boards had projected Carr to be selected between 15th and 21st in the first round. But he slipped to the Lakers, who like the idea that Carr is so athletic, is a three-and-D player with a 7-2 wingspan and has a 42.5-inch vertical.
He set a record at Baylor during his sophomore year with 642 points during the 2025-26 season. That ranked him fifth in program history, regardless of class.
Carr has been compared to Knicks wing player Mikal Bridges, a two-way player who just won the championship with New York.
The draft will continue Wednesday with the second round, but the Lakers don’t have a pick.
The Lakers needed to add a player such as Carr because they have so many roles to fill.
LeBron James is a free agent and is looking for a contract from the Lakers. Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his deal that will pay him $14.8 million. The Lakers can pay Reaves the most, a five-year deal for $241 million. Marcus Smart, the best defender on the Lakers, has a player option for $5.3 million. People around the NBA expect him to opt out and sign a deal for more money. Rui Hachimura is an unrestricted free agent and will have many teams after him. Luke Kennard is a free agent and will have a few teams after him because of his three-point shooting.
So, essentially, the Lakers need players on their roster and Carr is a player that the Lakers felt fell to them when so many draft boards had him going earlier.