{"id":17659,"date":"2026-06-25T04:04:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17659"},"modified":"2026-06-25T04:04:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T04:04:05","slug":"nba-draft-lakers-trade-in-and-out-of-2nd-round-sign-vanderbilts-ak-okereke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17659","title":{"rendered":"NBA draft: Lakers trade in and out of 2nd round, sign Vanderbilt\u2019s AK Okereke"},"content":{"rendered":"
Before the second round of the NBA draft began on Wednesday, the Lakers made a move to jump into the final selections of the night and traded cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls for the 56th overall pick.<\/p>\n

But when it was the Lakers\u2019 turn on the clock, the player selected was already headed somewhere else.<\/p>\n

Read more Mookie Betts hits 300th homer to back Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers sweep Twins<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second consecutive night, the Lakers drafted a European player (Russian wing Vsevolod Ishchenko) in a trade to be officialized later that would end the day with the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers sent the 56th pick that they acquired just hours earlier, to the Mavericks for cash considerations.<\/p>\n

One explanation for moving into and out of the draft is that the Lakers\u2019 preferred selection was no longer available. North Carolina center Henri Veesaar, who had been mocked by many to the Lakers with their original 25th overall pick in the first round, was still available as late as the 52nd pick in the second round as the most high-profile slide down the board.<\/p>\n

However, Veesaar came off the board at No. 52 as the Atlanta Hawks traded with the Clippers to swoop in and grab the second-team All-ACC post.<\/p>\n

The Lakers opted out of the second round, but they didn\u2019t end the night without a new player alongside their first-round selection Cameron Carr. The Lakers are signing Vanderbilt forward AK Okereke to a two-way contract, a league source confirmed to the Southern California News Group on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

Read more Angels do a lot with a little, rally to beat Orioles in 10th inning<\/a><\/p>\n

Okereke, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward, averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in 36 games for the Commodores last season. The 22-year-old spent just one year at Vanderbilt after playing the previous three years at Cornell, where he began his career as a walk-on player. He appeared in just four games during his freshman season in 2022-23.<\/p>\n

Okereke, from Clovis, recorded his best college season in 2024-25, when he averaged 13.9 points per game on 59.5% shooting from the field. Okereke has a solid stroke from 3-point range, increasing his attempts from behind the arc every year. At Vanderbilt last season, Okereke shot a career-best 40% from 3-point range on 2.6 attempts per game.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Chris Ma\u00f1on, who spent last season with the Lakers on a two-way contract, also played three years at Cornell before playing one season with Vanderbilt and became an undrafted free agent. The Lakers now return to the Vanderbilt well for Okereke.<\/p>\n

Read more Galen Diaz, Jay Mericle celebrated for coaching run with Esperanza aquatics<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lakers bought into the second round on Wednesday afternoon before trading their way back out by the end of the night, but they signed the undrafted Okereke to a two-way contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA draft: Lakers trade in and out of 2nd round, sign Vanderbilt\u2019s AK Okereke - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=17659\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA draft: Lakers trade in and out of 2nd round, sign Vanderbilt\u2019s AK Okereke - 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