FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

1-How well do ‘athletic’ defensive stats translate from college to the NBA?

Why am I sharing this again? Because I used the same approach and key stats (block rate, steal rate, and offensive rebound rate) to build comparisons for the players Nick highlighted when I asked about prospects who fit the exceptional athlete archetype. We also took it a step further by including Nick’s Combine Score metric, which adds another valuable layer of insight into each player’s athletic profile and physical tools.

2-Athletic wing defense: second-round options

Q: The Lakers currently hold the 55th pick, if they don’t move up in the second round. They need athletes, length, and point-of-attack defense. Do you see any players — or does your model project any — that you’d take a chance on at the end of the draft?

Nick: With NIL becoming such an important factor in the draft process, I expect the second round to become even more barren than usual. That being said, Jahmai Mashack is a player who I think fits all of the criteria you outlined as needs for the Lakers. He tested extremely well at the G League Elite Camp, measuring 6’3″ with a +5 wingspan, and was a lockdown defender for Tennessee in the toughest conference in the country. Given LA’s success with Jordan Goodwin in a limited sample, Mashack could be a low-cost perimeter defense option worth targeting late in the draft. Micah Peavy from Georgetown is another player who fits that mold.

Q: Do you see any players who fit that profile and are likely to go earlier in the second round — players you’re high on and think the Lakers should consider moving up for?

Nick: It’s tough, because a few players projected in the late first to early second round range are still undecided about whether to return to school. Miles Byrd (EDIT: draft expert Jonathan Givony described him as one of the best defensive playmakers in college basketball) was arguably the best point-of-attack defender in college basketball last season, and unlike Mashack or Peavy, he’s also a consistent perimeter threat. He continued to rack up steals and blocks during the combine scrimmages and definitely saw his stock rise over the week. Cedric Coward (EDIT: Cedric Coward forgoes Duke to remain in the NBA Draft), currently committed to Duke but also going through the draft process, measured as one of the most athletic wings in combine history (Combine Score above 95) and has seen his draft outlook skyrocket from relatively unknown to the 20–30 range.

3–A very intriguing Combine Score and athletic comparisons for Dalton Knecht
Here’s how Nick answered when I asked how his model projected Knecht before last year’s draft, and how he views one of the Lakers’ best young assets today.

Nick: Knecht graded out as the 7th-best prospect coming from the NCAA to the NBA last season in my model, which valued his diverse scoring profile and offensive dominance in the SEC, the most competitive conference in college basketball. At times, he looked like he was living up to that potential, but he struggled with consistent minutes, especially after the Mark Williams trade fell through. I think he’ll settle into a steady role as a volume scorer off the bench — someone who can give you a few buckets when needed but isn’t a strong enough defender to contribute much beyond that. It will also be difficult for him to develop further given his age (he’ll be 24 at the start of next season).

4-Athletic rim-rolling bigs: second-round options
5-Best front offices at finding hidden draft gems
Nick: The two best teams at finding talent outside of the lottery are easily Memphis and Golden State. The Warriors in particular have a rotation littered with players they drafted in the late first round or even in the second, notably Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevon Looney, Quentin Post, Gui Santos, and of course, Draymond Green.

This means Austin Reaves will potentially become a free agent next summer, where he’ll be eligible for a 5-year, $247M max deal with the Lakers OR a 4-year, $183M max deal with any other team. https://t.co/FBBWKzdBmW— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) June 26, 2025

FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

Four years after he went undrafted and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves is set to again wait — this time on a significant raise.

League sources told The Athletic that Reaves formally declined a max extension with the Lakers this week that would’ve paid him $89.2 million over the next four seasons. He’s about to start the third year of a four-year, $54 million contract he signed as a restricted free agent in 2023 — also the max number he could receive from the Lakers at the time.

He can opt out of that deal and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he’s expected to command significantly more than the most lucrative extension the Lakers were allowed to offer this summer.

The decision, league sources said, wasn’t a reflection of Reaves and the Lakers’ relationship. Instead, it’s almost a foregone conclusion considering the limitations placed on the amount the Lakers were allowed to offer this week.

Reaves’ upcoming potential free agency meant his name was floating in and out of rumors on the first day of the NBA Draft. The Lakers have never shown interest in trading Reaves and continue to hold him in high value.

Still, there are skeptics around the NBA, mainly because there’s pressure for the Lakers to aggressively upgrade their roster alongside Luka Dončić, LeBron James and, presumably, Reaves — three players Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka singled out in his end-of-season news conference on May 1.

“I think when your foundation for those three players is that they’re players of high-character and a highly competitive nature, that’s the perfect starting point to have three players like that,” Pelinka said. “LeBron’s a selfless player, high character. All he cares about is winning. Luka Dončić, the same. Austin Reaves, the same.

“I think when you get those three pillars in a training camp environment and you’re starting to build an ethos around them, that’s a great starting point. And we didn’t have that opportunity this year, but we will next year.”

Reaves averaged 20.2 points per game this past season, a career high. His pending free agency makes him a bit of a tricky player to trade for. Teams that value him can offer him twice as much as the Lakers’ extension offer in 2026. And if you’re a team that thinks the Lakers are willing to move Reaves instead of paying him, are you pushing your best assets into talks to get a deal done for someone you might just be able to sign 12 months from now?

If you’re the Lakers, are you looking at a five-game series with Minnesota, where Reaves had the least productive postseason of his career, as an indictment, or are you factoring in the painful toe injury that limited him in the final two games of the series?

Promises of internal improvement and continuity aren’t nearly as exciting as “Breaking News” alerts signaling trades. As the Lakers prepare for their lone scheduled decision of the NBA Draft — the No. 55 pick — fans should have realistic expectations for the kind of impact a player taken in the final gasps of the second round can have on a roster.

None of the guesses around the NBA for what the Lakers might do in the second round — from targeting a center to looking for defensive toughness and/or shooting, to spending cash to move up in a trade if necessary — are all that surprising.

During the draft’s first day, scouts and executives around the NBA gossiped plenty about the Lakers and their need to add a starting center and their desire to get more versatile on the wing. And because there are limited pathways for the Lakers to address those needs now, rival league personnel wondered if Reaves was potentially more available via trade than he’d ever been before.

The Lakers and Reaves, however, seem committed to maintaining their partnership.

At his youth basketball camp in Arkansas earlier this month, Reaves told a local television station he hoped to remain with the team throughout his career.

“I want to be in LA. I want to play my whole career in LA. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf,” Reaves told K8 News. “And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball.”

From the Lakers’ perspective, there’s some proof of concept that a Dončić-James-Reaves trio can work. The team went 10-3 in the 13 regular-season games it started together (with Rui Hachimura), including road wins over eventual Eastern champions Indiana and NBA champion Oklahoma City.

Is that the cause for the Lakers to be sidelined on the first days of the new NBA offseason and not make a trade? It’s difficult to say other than the team, because of a relatively lean asset chest, can’t afford to make the wrong move, even if it’s done to fill an obvious hole.

The Lakers remain aggressive in their pursuit of a center (the one they traded for midseason last year, only for the deal to be rescinded, Mark Williams, was dealt to Phoenix on Wednesday for the No. 29 pick and a future first-round pick).

They’re armed with ample expiring money, a helpful tool in any trade, a future first-round pick and last year’s rookie, Dalton Knecht, to get a trade done should one present itself. At least for now, the Lakers seem more focused on finding the right deal rather than simply making a deal.

Reaves told the Lakers he thought it was best to wait. Now, it’s on the Lakers to signal to the NBA whether or not they’re willing to do the same.