The Lakers are moving up in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft
Historically, second-round draft picks in the NBA don't amount to much. Sometimes, they can yield a rotation player, but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule.
But over the past several years, the Los Angeles Lakers have found some diamonds in the rough in the second round. Players such as Ivica Zubac and Max Christie have panned out and become quite useful players in time.
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The Lakers were going to have the No. 55 pick in the second round of this year's draft, which is taking place on Thursday. But they reportedly agreed to send that pick and some cash to the Chicago Bulls in order to acquire the No. 45 pick.
According to the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, the team gave up $2.5 million to acquire the No. 45 pick. Unfortunately, that means it will be hard-capped at the second apron, at least for now.
On draft day 2022, the Lakers executed a trade to acquire a second-round pick that became Christie, and three years earlier, they traded for Talen Horton-Tucker, who had been taken by the Orlando Magic in the second round, on draft day. They will be hoping to find another hidden gem this time around.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The Lakers are moving up in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft
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