Lakers Looking to Make Another Big Draft Trade: Report

Lakers Looking to Make Another Big Draft Trade: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers held the No. 55 pick in the 2025 NBA draft entering the second day. But after a trade with the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles now owns the No. 45 pick in the second round.

However, it seems that Los Angeles may not be done just yet. According to NBA insider Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, the Lakers may be aiming to go even higher to land a specific player.

"People around the league said the Lakers are trying to put themselves in position to draft center Ryan Kalkbrenner out of Creighton University. Kalkbrenner is older at 23, but he’s 7-1 and averaged 19.4 points and 9.0 rebounds last season, and he shot 66.3% from the field and 34% from three-point range," Turner wrote.

If the Lakers are targeting Kalkbrenner, they may need to move up in the draft again. Kalkbrenner has been a hot name in draft circles, and he could fill a real need for the Lakers' frontcourt.

At Creighton last season, Kalkbrenner averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game. The big man could help Los Angeles upgrade the frontcourt, which is the biggest need for the Lakers as the offseason gets going.

Kalkbrenner also improved his 3-point shooting in each season in college, coming in at 34.4 percent last year. While he isn't a knockdown shooter, he could at least help space the floor a little bit.

This could be one way for the Lakers to add a center without it costing them too much against the salary cap. Los Angeles has wanted to get younger and more athletic this summer, and this could be the perfect way to make that happen.

Related: Bucks Predicted to Land All-Star to Help Giannis Antetokounmpo

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.