The Lakers made a quick move on draft night, sending cash to the Knicks just to jump up one spot to No. 24. And with that pick, they grabbed Baylor guard Cameron Carr — a guy a lot of scouts had circled as a first-round talent who somehow kept slipping.
ClutchPoints insider Brett Siegel called it exactly what it looked like.
“What a steal for the Lakers,” Siegel posted on X after the pick was announced.
Carr is the kind of wing that teams overthink in the draft. Long, explosive, capable of guarding multiple positions. At Baylor this past season he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 blocks. Those numbers come with a caveat though — he played two years at Tennessee before transferring, so he’s not some one-year wonder who feasted on weak competition.
He’s been battle-tested in the SEC and Big 12.
The Lakers obviously liked what they saw. Moving up even one spot in a deep draft isn’t typically worth much, but when the guy you want is still there, you don’t gamble. They paid cash to make sure no one jumped ahead and took him.
Reunion in LA
Here’s a fun layer to this story. Carr will be reunited with Dalton Knecht, his former Tennessee teammate. The Lakers drafted Knecht last year and he showed flashes as a rookie. Pairing him with Carr again could make for some natural chemistry early on, especially in summer league and training camp.
Carr projects as a 3-and-D wing at the next level. His shooting needs to become more consistent — that’s the knock on him — but the physical tools are undeniable. At 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the kind of length the Lakers have been trying to add to their rotation for years.
The Lakers didn’t have a first-round pick entering the night. They traded into the draft, got their guy, and walked away with what looks like a value pick on paper. The Knicks got cash, which is fine for them. The Lakers got a player who might actually contribute this season.
More details will come out about Carr’s contract and exactly what the cash terms were, but for now, LA’s front office has to feel pretty good about how this one played out.
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