Why Lakers traded money to Bulls for a 2nd-round pick in NBA Draft

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About an hour before the 2026 NBA Draft second round started on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers had no picks remaining.

They changed that by calling up the Chicago Bulls.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Lakers acquired the 56th pick from Chicago.

They just had to send cash to the Bulls for the pick.

It doesn't stand out as exciting, but it's something for L.A. fans to keep an eye on during Wednesday night's proceedings.

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Why did the Lakers trade cash for the 56th pick?

Simply put, the Lakers wanted to get in on the fun.

There aren't high odds of the 56th pick turning into a key contributor, but it's not impossible.

L.A. could use that spot on an international player to draft-and-stash.

They could use it on someone to sign to a two-way contract.

Or, if a talented enough player falls, maybe they find a guy for the back end of the standard roster.

It's certainly not a big deal to the Lakers to give up a bit of cash, which is usually what it takes for a team to get into the second round.

And with this deal done, the Lakers can at the very least beat teams to someone who might get into a bidding war in undrafted free agency.