The Lakers have made an early move to get their Summer League group in place, and it comes with a familiar kind of roster pressure built in. Los Angeles officially signed Cameron Carr to his rookie deal on Thursday, giving the team a 6-foot-5 guard who could push for real minutes and, in the right scenario, challenge for Dalton Knecht’s spot.
Anthony Irwin of Offside reported the signing, while Marc Stein’s Stein Line shared the details behind the draft-night maneuver that brought Carr to Los Angeles. What initially looked like a simple two-team swap between the Lakers and Knicks ended up becoming a four-team deal once the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns were folded in.
The Lakers moved the No. 25 overall pick to New York and got the No. 24 pick back, then used it to select Carr. Dallas later announced that it had acquired the draft rights to the 2026 25th overall pick Sergio De Larrea from the Lakers as part of the expanded trade. The release also said Dallas sent the draft rights to the 2026 30th overall selection Koa Peat to Phoenix, while Melvin Ajinca’s draft rights, along with two second-round picks, went to New York.
Carr brings a profile that should turn heads quickly. He has the kind of burst that lets him finish at the rim from different angles, and he’s already shown he can knock down perimeter shots both off the dribble and off the catch. Add in a defensive edge and the kind of rim protection he flashed in his senior season, and the Lakers may have landed a first-year player who can make a loud case for playing time.
At Baylor last season, Carr put up 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.4% from three. Fans will get their first look at him in purple and gold at the upcoming California Classic.
In Other News...
Knicks Suddenly Face A Tougher East Than Anyone Expected
The East may look familiar on paper, but the offseason has already changed the feel of the race, and not in a way the Knicks can ignore. A fresh set of rankings around the conference points to a league where major trades and roster reshuffling have turned several playoff hopefuls into something more dangerous, with contenders getting sharper at the top and the middle of the bracket becoming harder to sort out before opening night.
For New York, the bigger concern is not just who improved, but how many rivals now enter the season with a clearer path to winning in the spring. The analysis around the conference weighs roster strength, coaching changes and new arrivals across the board, and the Knicks are left measuring themselves against a field that suddenly looks deeper, sturdier and less forgiving than expected, even before the first real test arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Brutal Deuce McBride Decision Again
Deuce McBride keeps surfacing in the Knicks roster math because he is one of the few movable pieces on a team that has gotten expensive in a hurry. His value is easy to see: he has given New York steady guard play, reliable minutes and a skill set that fits the way this roster wants to operate, all while playing on a contract that remains friendly enough to make him part of bigger conversations.
The problem is that those same traits make him hard to part with, even if the Knicks keep weighing whether he could be the most realistic way to bring back frontcourt help. The front office could use more size, more rebounding or a cleaner path behind the starting center spot, but every time McBride comes up in the trade pile, it is a reminder of how thin the margin is between preserving backcourt depth and chasing a roster fix that addresses a bigger weakness. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Saw Another Young Big Man Option Slip Away
Mitchell Robinsons move to Boston already left the Knicks looking thinner at the center spot, and it helps explain why New York has been active in the market for another young big. The front office has been searching for long-term answers in the middle, with the kind of player who can grow into a core role rather than just fill minutes.
One of the names they chased was New Orleans center Yves Missi, but the Pelicans have made it clear they are not interested in moving him. New Orleans views him as part of its core, and New York is not alone in getting turned away, since the Lakers also tried to pry him loose without success. [Read more 🡒]