The Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht, a 23-year-old shooting prospect from the University of Tennessee, with the seventeenth pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Knecht is expected to provide floor spacing for the Lakers, who lacked it in their series against the Denver Nuggets.

Rob Pelinka’s efforts to improve the roster are ongoing, with Los Angeles looking to add depth around LeBron James and Anthony Davis through free agency and trades. The Brooklyn Nets recently sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, leading to speculation that other key players may be traded.

That third star they talked about pursuing with the three first-round picks at their disposal no longer seems as likely with Mitchell back with the Cavs and Jimmy Butler likely to remain in Miami. Then again, never say never when it comes to stars wanting to play for the purple and gold. The Lakers are among the teams expected to be interested in (Cam) Johnson from Brooklyn,” reported Matt Moore of Action Network.

Cam Johnson is a highly skilled pure jump shooter in the NBA, having honed his craft at multiple ACC schools. He has been a key contributor to the Phoenix Suns and now the Nets. Despite his lack of versatility, Johnson has the height and wingspan to be a serviceable team defender and fits the archetype of floor spacing wing players used by most NBA teams.

In theory, Johnson would fit in perfectly with almost any team in the league, including the Lakers, who had a strong regular-season shooting campaign but saw a sharp decline in that output in their playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets, as D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves all appeared to go cold at the wrong time en route to a five-game series defeat.

In addition to adding some depth in case LeBron James and Anthony Davis don’t play as many games as they did the previous season, Johnson would instantly provide some floor spacing around those two players.

Regarding what the Lakers would have to give up, it helps that the Nets are presently embarking on a rebuild, which means their leverage may be a little lower than usual.

This is something that the entire NBA is aware of. Either way, now that the Finals are over, the Lakers may trade and look around the market.