The Los Angeles Lakers traded JaVale McGee and the 54th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell back in 2020. McGee was benched late in the championship run, and LA was eager to upgrade. They worked out a deal with Marc Gasol, but needed to clear flexibility below the hard cap. Bell never played for the Lakers, and McKinnie got 39 games of action before being waived. It wasn’t about those players.
The Gasol signing didn’t go to plan. He averaged a career-low 19.1 minutes per game and was an inconsistent part of the rotation. The veteran big man ended up playing 17 minutes each night in the playoffs, but the defending champion Lakers were knocked out in the first round by the Suns. Those turned out to be Gasol’s final NBA games.
The draft pick has been owed for six years, but the bill is finally due. The 54th pick has been traded multiple times, and it was the rival Golden State Warriors that selected Lajae Jones. Los Angeles would have loved to have this pick back, especially as they tried to build around Luka Doncic at the deadline.
The Lakers gave up their 2026 2nd round draft pick to sign Marc Gasol in 2020
Los Angeles has had center questions for years. Even during the 2020 title run, Dwight Howard and McGee combined to average just 25.3 minutes per game with Anthony Davis filling the remaining time.
They hoped Gasol would be the answer, but his tenure in LA was disastrous. The Lakers had to attach a second-round draft pick to dump the final year of his contract after it was clear he couldn’t return.
The problem persists six years later. Deandre Ayton has a player option to decide on, but he’s not the Lakers’ solution. They want a rim-protector and lob threat to play with Luka Doncic. Finding one has been a problem. Sadly, fans can’t be surprised at this point. They have been searching since AD arrived in LA back in 2019.
The Lakers traded a second-round draft pick and Gabe Vincent for Luke Kennard at the 2026 deadline. They would have loved to have this pick to get another piece or upgrade over Kennard, but it was sent packing years ago to get one season of Gasol that fans would love to forget.
The Los Angeles Lakers are no strangers to making bold moves and trading draft capital for veterans. Those deals have been the foundation of Rob Pelinka’s roster-building strategy since he took over as GM in 2018. The franchise would love to have developing players on rookie contracts, but they are always trying to win now.
The bill came due six years after the Lakers signed Marc Gasol. Dumping JaVale McGee only cost LA a late second-round draft pick, but having the pick could have helped in other moves. It is why every transaction matters. Pelinka must remember that as he builds around Luka.
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