The NBA offseason has barely started, and the Los Angeles Lakers have already made their fair share of headlines. The biggest so far, though, has to be the Lakers' shocking $10 billion sale to L.A. sports mogul Mark Walter, who's far from a stranger in the City of Angels due to his stake in the MLB's Dodgers and WNBA's Sparks.
Transactions like sports team sales don't happen overnight, though, meaning there must be a lot of I's dotted and T's crossed before Walter takes over the franchise. Having said that, it only took until the 2025 NBA draft for the team's sale to pay off for the Lakers in a big way.
Lakers Trading Up for Adou Thiero Proves Ownership Sale is Paying Off
After going the opening round without a pick, the Lakers entered Day 2 of the NBA draft with the 55th overall selection. At least, they were scheduled to do so until general manager Rob Pelinka traded said selection, along with cash, to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for No. 45.
Moving up 10 picks is significant, but L.A. didn't stand pat in its new spot for long. The Lakers made another trade after the second round began, sending Pick No. 45 and more cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves, this time to move up to the 36th overall pick to draft Adou Thiero out of the University of Arkansas.
The fact that the Lakers moved up 19 spots only using cash says a lot about the Buss Family's mindset following the announced sale earlier this month. They know that a cool $10 billion payout is on the way, leaving them feeling more than comfortable to spend the cash they currently have if it means giving the Lakers an advantage on the court.
Before the 2024-25 season started, the NBA announced that teams had a $7.24 million limit when it came to using cash in trades. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Lakers sent approximately $2.5 million to the Bulls in their first trade, so it wouldn't be surprising if they sent a similar number (or more) to the Timberwolves.
Regardless of how much money was shipped out of town, the number doesn't matter because it's coming out of the Buss Family's soon-to-be-restocked wallet. The cash spent will become even less important if Thiero successfully becomes a mainstay in the Lakers' rotation.
With Walter also known for not being afraid to splurge on transactions, Thursday's second-round trades could be a sign the Lakers won't be afraid to open their checkbooks this summer.