The Los Angeles Lakers originally did not have any picks in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, although they used cash to acquire the No. 56 pick from the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers have done that a lot in recent years to add second-round talent, but this time they actually went the opposite direction. L.A. did not end up drafting a player in the second round, instead again flipping the pick to the Dallas Mavericks for cash, per Shams Charania of ESPN:
The Mavericks sent cash to the Lakers for Vsevolod Ishchenko at 56, sources said. https://t.co/638X6OhLVi
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2026
With the 56th pick, the Mavericks wound up drafting guard Vsevolod Ischenko out of Russia.
According to various reports, the Lakers attempted to trade up from 56 but were unable to do so. L.A. has a clear need at the center position and likely were targeting a young prospect to develop.
Henri Veesaar out of North Carolina and Ugonna Onyenso out of Virginia were the last two available leading up to the Lakers’ pick, but they both wound up getting taken. The Atlanta Hawks traded up to draft Veesaar at No. 52 while the Detroit Pistons traded up to take Onyenso at No. 53.
The Lakers also traded up in the first round on Tuesday night, taking Cameron Carr out of Baylor, giving them one player in their 2026 draft class. They will now shift their focus to the undrafted free agent market to fill out their two-way spots and Summer League roster.
Rob Pelinka knows player development is important for Lakers success
Given the constrictions of the NBA CBA, the Lakers are leaning on drafting and developing young talent to be successful, which Rob Pelinka spoke about earlier this offseason.
“I think in this salary cap system, player development is going to be a huge thing to lean into for success ultimately,” Pelinka said. “We’ve seen that. I think you could look at veteran players that have come here and developed. I’ll use Rui as an example. When we traded for him, and who he is now, he’s a different player. That’s a testament to JJ’s player development, staff, I see coach Bo sitting here, he’s poured in so much.
“So I think there can be development of veteran players too that are still young. I think we have Adou Thiero as another example. Had some bumps with his health this year but once he got healthy, JJ trusted him enough to put him in a playoff series, and got some big rebounds and made some big plays. Those are just examples. We have to continue to find young talent and develop them.”
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