The Lakers were busy making moves Thursday, doing all they could to move up in the second round of the NBA draft.
After moving up to No. 36 in the draft with their second trade of the day, the Lakers acquired the rights to Adou Thiero out of Arkansas.
To get what many with the Lakers and around the NBA view as a “super athletic wing” in the 6-foot-8 Thiero, the Lakers first traded their 55th pick and about $2.5 million in cash to the Chicago Bulls for their 45th pick. Then the Lakers sent that No. 45 pick and cash considerations to the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire the draft rights to Thiero, the 36th pick, according to a person with knowledge of the deal not authorized to speak publicly.
Thiero averaged 15.1 points on 54.5% shooting from the field and 5.8 rebounds last season for the Razorbacks.
He needs to improve his shooting, as do many second-round wing players, but the Lakers think Thiero will improve on that over time.
The Lakers and other NBA scouts compare the 220-pound Thiero to Knicks forward OG Anunoby, a three-and-D player that L.A.’s scouts thought might be drafted in the first round.
Though the Lakers are in need of a center, they also need athleticism at the wing to play alongside Luka Doncic, and Thiero helps address that need.
And the Lakers were happy to go from No. 55 to No. 36 and not give up future assets to draft Thiero. The Lakers didn’t have a first-round pick in Wednesday night’s draft.
People around the league said the Lakers had their eye on Ryan Kalkbrenner out of Creighton, but the 7-foot-1 center didn’t last on the board long, going to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 34.
In other Lakers news, Austin Reaves declined the team’s maximum offer of four years for $89 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
Reaves, 27, still has two years left on his deal, for $13.9 million next season and $14.9 million in 2026-27 season, and he holds a player option for the last year of his deal.
He was third on the Lakers in scoring last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (20.2), assists (5.8), rebounds (4.5) and minutes per game (34.9). He shot 46% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range.
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