Lakers fans haven’t even seen Cameron Carr in a uniform yet, and he’s already giving them a reason to cheer.
The Baylor wing, taken 24th overall by Los Angeles in a draft-night trade with the Knicks, sat down for a pre-draft interview and got a question that was basically begging for a spicy answer: Would you rather guard Anthony Edwards or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Carr didn’t hesitate. He didn’t give some polished non-answer about respecting both guys. He picked Edwards and made it clear why.
“Yeah, I ain’t dealing with the flopping, Anthony Edwards,” Carr said, per a clip shared by Fullcourtpass on X.
That’s a direct shot at SGA, the reigning two-time league MVP who just led Oklahoma City to the Western Conference Finals before they lost to San Antonio. The Thunder swept the Lakers in the second round this year, and a big part of that series was the conversation around Gilgeous-Alexander’s tendency to sell contact. Fans and analysts went back and forth on it. Carr just picked a side.
Carr’s confidence is the takeaway here
You don’t hear rookies call out a two-time MVP before they’ve played a single NBA game very often. Carr is walking into the league with swagger, and that’s the kind of thing that plays well in a market like Los Angeles. The Lakers have built a roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis that needs shooters and wings who can defend. Carr fits that description. He shot 37 percent from three at Baylor and has the length to bother guys on the perimeter.
But the quote is what people are talking about right now. It’s a smart way for a first-round pick to endear himself to a fanbase that lives and dies with the team’s personality as much as its W-L record.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have bigger things to sort out
Locking up Austin Reaves on a long-term extension Wednesday morning was a solid move. He’s become a reliable secondary creator and a fan favorite in his own right. But the elephant in the room is LeBron James. He can opt out of his contract and hit free agency this summer if he wants. The Lakers have not confirmed anything about his plans, and until they do, every decision they make has that shadow over it.
Free agency opens June 30. The Lakers have depth questions, a need for another big man, and the usual pressure to compete while LeBron is still playing at an elite level. Adding Carr doesn’t solve all of that. But it gives them another young piece with some attitude, and in a league full of carefully managed public statements, that counts for something.
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