The Lakers are trading the 55th pick of the 2025 draft and cash to the Bulls for tonight’s 45th selection, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).
As Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, the Lakers will now be hard-capped at the second tax apron for the 2025/26 season because they are sending out cash in the deal.
Bulls general manager Marc Eversley said during a Wednesday night press conference that Chicago was open to moving the No. 45 pick, either to move out of the second round or to select a draft-and-stash prospect. In this case the Bulls moved back 10 spots and added cash in the process.
Los Angeles is clearly targeting a player it likes and thinks will be available at No. 45 but may not have been at No. 55. In the past, sending out cash to move up in the draft wasn’t a big deal, but changes in the new CBA mean the Lakers will be unable to surpass the second apron — projected at $207.8MM — for next season.
Although they’ll lose a little bit of roster flexibility as a result of the trade, the Lakers were unlikely to exceed the second apron in ’25/26 anyway, notes Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Twitter link).
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), the Hornets (either No. 33 or No. 34), Raptors (No. 39), Warriors (No. 41) and Thunder (No. 44) are also open to trading their second-round picks. ESPN identified Charlotte this morning as a team to monitor with one of its early second-rounders.
The Timberwolves (No. 31) are also fielding trade inquiries on the first pick of the second round, sources tell Fischer (Twitter link).
Why do this?
Good. That means I have even less of a reason to watch the NBA crap show. Thanks AKME. Lot of other things to watch anyway. Thumbs up!
Good old Jerry Bleeping Reinsdorf.
They will use whatever money they got from this pick, and then sign an over the hill guy/veteran guy for minimum so he can “be a good influence” on MB and the new draft pick.
Does LeBron have another son the Lakers can waste a 2nd round pick on?
Bulls don’t need draft talents,they don’t know what to do with them anyway.What Bulls would do without G-league and bench?Looks like Bulls loosing worldwide fans not by years,but by minutes
Such a Bulls (Reinsdorf) move. One of the most profitable teams in the league, but let’s do whatever we can for cash. Drop 10 spots for nothing more than cash. What Reinsdorf has done to the Bulls and ESPECIALLY the White Sox is criminal.
Agreed, I have said it before, but: this current “random billionaire owns all the teams” structure that all of the USA pro sports leagues are set up like, is not sustainable. The billionaires will, 99.99999% of the time, screw everyone to make more money for themselves. This is their MO. They are a cancer on everything they touch.
We have to switch to player-owned teams/leagues. This will slightly lower higher-end salaries (no one making more than like, $10 mill a year), higher lower-end salaries (minor leaguers all making $100k a year for instance) and lower ticket prices and will create fairer pay structures for everyone involved, because there will not be any corrupt, ruthless, soulless billionaires who are hell bent on squeezing every dollar out of something until it dies in this scenario.
Why not just have publicly owned teams since we pay for the stadiums anyway? Also, switching to player owned teams has nothing to do with revenue, so why would players make less? I agree on lowering ticket prices, but they could do that anyway and still pay players the same. I went to school for Sports Administration and briefly worked in sports and I tell ppl it kind of ruined sports for me in some ways. Ppl who enjoy sports either don’t see the corrupt side of it or are okay ignoring it. Why should we pay billionaires to build stadiums that they in turn make money off of with naming rights, advertisements, ticket sales, etc.
There is one publicly owned team, and it is the Green Bay Packers.
Any sale of the Packers will result in zero profits for any owner (as the money will go to charity). The owners (from publicly sold shares) do not make money and are simply entitled to owner exclusive merchandise like a plaque and polos and stuff.
Everyone is happy. It is so good that the billionaires banned this ownership model from all major sports leagues going forward.
@MattFoley a fine question, “switching to player owned teams has nothing to do with revenue, so why would players make less?” well it could have less revenue if the ticket prices and every other aspect of the game being lowered by cutting out scammer middle men, but also because they would switch salary models to pay every minor leaguer a minimum $100k a year, up from their current minimums of $19,800 in rookie ball to $35,800 in Triple-A. Those would be $100k+, depending on experience. So the players at the top taking a pay cut so every entry-level player can make enough to just focus on the game from moment one.
Publicly-owned teams with a maximum buy-in of $500 are a great idea also. One thing we can all agree on here is that there’s so many ways to do “the USA pro sports experience” better than it currently is, and that involves removing the most problematic aspect of the game: billionaires.
Another confusing move by the Lakers, hard capping themselves. Who do they think will be around at #45 that will help the team?
I’d check labuums podcast and Twitter to see which guy he’s been pumping up and then you’ll know who they plan on drafting.
When they told Jerry about this move, his first reaction was “No, I don’t want any honey!”
“No, Jerry, we just saved you more MONEY.”
Jerry immediately breaks into a riverdance.
I was thinking the Snoopy Dance!
If you need any more proof that AKME are starting next season with Giddey and everybody else from last years team here ya go. They’ll have to trade somebody to fit in Giddey’s new salary( Whatever it is) but otherwise the same old same old. On the way to play in when the division is there for the taking with all the injuries. All it would take is somebody with balls to make it happen. On to the Blackhawks draft!
According to rumors
Austin Reaves has rejected Lakers 4 years extension offer. He wants more money
Reindorf always looking to save a buck, PLEASE SELL THE TEAM
I just found out there was a big mistake yesterday
Pelicans trade 2026 unprotested first round picks to move up
Crazy, Crazy, Crazy
Joe Dumas?
Blazers should trade #10 to Pelicans for #23 and 2026 unprotested First
Joe Dumars is terrible and hasn’t made any smart moves since acquiring Rasheed 20 years ago.
Bulls get a few hundred grand and Lakers purposely hard cap themselves. All is as it should be in billionaire land. Sports fans are so dumb.
Oh goodie, we can draft another Maxwell Lewis