There is good news and bad news for the Lakers as they enter the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency. The good news is they have their superstar in place in Luka Dončić. The bad news is they need a little bit of everything else.
It’s been reported that Dončić wants a top-tier center on the roster. It’s also been reported that the front office wants the Lakers to get more athletic.
So, what should the Lakers do with their No. 25 pick?
Is it best to take a center or should they aim for a wing or traditional
guard in the first round? Here is what experts think LA will do on Tuesday night.
USA Today — Koa Peat, wing, Arizona
If the Lakers take a wing, Peat could be a great option. In his sole season as a Wildcat, he scored 14.1 points per game. He has great bounce and was a key player during Arizona’s run to the Final Four. His best game of the tournament came in the Elite Eight, when he scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Purdue.
Here is what Bryan Kalbrosky thinks about Peat potentially going to the Lakers:
Arizona forward Koa Peat is potentially an appealing option for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is naturally bouncy and athletic with a strong frame and a near 7-foot wingspan. Peat is also a solid rebounder and passer for his position and the Lakers likely have serious interest in him due to his size and physicality.
The All-Big 12 forward will need to improve his jumper to carve out consistent, high-impact minutes at the next level. But he’s still worth first-round consideration based on his body of work so far. Peat arguably had the most interesting decisions to make when it was finally his turn to announce if he would stay in college or turn pro.
The Athletic — Isaiah Evans, wing, Duke
Several mock drafts have Evans heading to Los Angeles. It makes sense considering he is a top wing prospect and a Blue Devil, just like LA’s head coach, JJ Redick.
He is a three-level scorer who took a huge leap from his freshman to sophomore season at Duke. Here is what Sam Vecenie thinks about Evans’ fit with the Lakers:
The Lakers are in a funky spot. They need to figure out the free-agency situations of LeBron James and Austin Reaves — among others — and whether they’ll have a significant amount of cap space this summer. It’s unclear if the organization will even have answers about those issues before the draft.
At the very least, Evans is a real shooter on the wing, which is something the Lakers can always use next to Luka Dončić, even if the team ends up totally reshaping things around him.
ESPN — Henri Veesaar, center, North Carolina
If the Lakers want to add frontcourt depth, then Veesaar could be the answer. The big from North Carolina had a monster season, averaging 17 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He’s also a floor spacing center, who converted on 42.6% of his 3-pointers.
Here is why Jeremy Woo thinks Veesaar makes sense as a Laker:
Veesaar’s perimeter shooting and size should give him a path to rotation minutes relatively early and have put him in play for first-round teams that need depth at center. He seems likely to come off the board somewhere in the 20s, where he has several potential landing spots.
The center position has been a revolving door for the Lakers, who should be focused on the bigger picture of building around Luka Doncic but are also dealing with new contracts for LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Veesaar’s shooting ability would make him a viable ball-screen partner for Doncic.
CBS Sports — Isaiah Evans, wing, Duke
Evans is emerging late as a popular pick in mock drafts to end up with the Lakers. As one of the best 3-point shooters in college, it makes sense to pair him on a team with Dončić and let him take a ton of open looks from deep.
Here is why Gary Parrish likes Evans’ fit with the Lakers:
Evans is a high-volume 3-point shooter with good positional size who made 38% of his shots from beyond the arc in two seasons with one of the best brands and teams in college basketball. That’s a good place to start his evaluation. The 20-year-old wing could be a nice piece for a Lakers franchise still building around Luka Doncic.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
