Over the past two seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have given up four second-round draft picks between two trades. Unfortunately, neither of the players Los Angeles acquired—Dorian Finney-Smith and Luke Kennard—re-signed with them the following season. Somehow, that just got a little bit worse.
Just when it seemed as though the Philadelphia 76ers were desperate enough to help Los Angeles begin the process of replacing some of its lost assets, the LA Clippers stole the Lakers' thunder.
It had been reported that the 76ers were looking to trade Johni Broome in order to create financial flexibility. In the report, it was noted that Philadelphia would likely need to include draft compensation in order to move the second-year big man and his rookie-scale contract.
Unfortunately, the Lakers were too slow on the draw to acquire draft compensation, as the Clippers acted first by trading nothing more than cash for Broome and a second-round pick.
JUST IN: The Philadelphia 76ers are trading Johni Broome and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for cash considerations, league sources told @hoopshype. pic.twitter.com/C10G5lkX49
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 28, 2026
Los Angeles admittedly had a complicated roster situation to navigate, but giving up cash for a second-round pick and a 24-year-old center would've been an ideal outcome.
Clippers acquire the second-round pick Lakers could've pursued
As a result of Rob Pelinka's questionable trade strategy, the Lakers won't have a second-round draft pick until 2031. To make matters worse, they'll also be without first-round selections in 2027, 2029, and 2031, and gave up pick swaps to the Utah Jazz in 2028 and 2030.
For a team in need of athleticism, depth, and team-friendly contracts, the Lakers' lack of draft assets is a rather devastating flaw.
Los Angeles could've conceivably acted on the Broome front, particularly in light of a recent report. Dan Woike of The Athletic wrote on Jul. 28 that the Lakers are actively pursuing centers who can create depth behind starter Walker Kessler and backup Kevon Looney.
Kessler and Looney are an ideal pairing if all is going well, but they've both experienced injury woes in recent years and Los Angeles appears determined to address that issue before it can rear its head.
Broome could've helped in that regard as a 2025 second-round draft pick who has played well in the G League. Even if he wasn't the type of player the Lakers prefer for the center position, however, what's clear is that the 76ers were willing to part with a second-round pick to get off of his contract—priced at a mere $2,171,347 per season.
Instead, the Lakers will need to find another way to begin replacing the draft assets they parted with for players who ended up being rentals.
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