J.J.

Redick

The Lakers added a second pick in the draft after selecting Cameron Carr with the 24th pick on Tuesday. It’s one of the last few picks in the draft, so it’s unclear who they could be targeting at this point. Chicago still has pick No. 38 after making two top-15 picks on Tuesday.

Redick led the Lakers to a 50-32 record during his first season as a head coach, though they fell to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs. However, after initially signing a four-year deal last June, the Lakers want to ensure he’s around longer than that, though the exact terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Redick will look to cater this offense to the strengths of Luka Doncic, who they traded for in February, while still getting the most out of LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

The Lakers moved up 10 spots from pick No. 55 to pick No. 45 in a trade with the Bulls Thursday afternoon. While Kalkbrenner would still have to fall to pick No. 45 unless the Lakers trade up again, a center makes sense as a potential target for the Lakers. The team traded away Anthony Davis in the Luke Doncic trade and then had a trade in place for Mark Williams before he failed his physical. The Lakers could certainly use more of a presence on the interior and Kalkbrenner would fit there.

The Lakers notably didn’t have a selection in the first round of the NBA Draft. Now while it’s unclear exactly who the team is targeting in the second round, the Lakers must have someone in mind to move up 10 spots. It’s also possible the Lakers could make another trade to move up if they’re targeting a player projected to go early in the second round.

A few months after the majority ownership of the Celtics was sold at a valuation of $6 billion, the Lakers were sold to Walter, who is also the primary owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The reported valuation of $10 billion is the highest for a professional sports franchise in world history. Once the NBA approves Wednesday’s reported sale, the Lakers will be owned by someone other than the Buss family for the first time since 1979. The late Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings, the Inglewood Forum and a 13,000 square foot ranch from Jack Kent Cooke for a total of $67.5 million. That’s equivalent to nearly $296 million in 2025.

Redick’s name has been connected to the Lakers since they fired Darvin Ham, and they have finally gotten a deal done. Redick doesn’t have any coaching experience, but Rob Pelinka believes that surrounding him with an elite coaching staff will make the transition smoother. Redick has a connection with LeBron James due to them co-hosting a podcast, but we shouldn’t expect that show to continue anytime soon. It will be a tall task for Redick to make this team a contender in his first coaching job, but having LeBron and Anthony Davis should make things a bit easier.

Redick hangs up his Nikes after 15 productive seasons in the league. He finishes with career averages of 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.1 made 3-pointers per game, while shooting 41.5% from downtown and 89.2% from the charity stripe. One of the game’s all-time elite marksmen, he is one of only three players in NBA history to make more than 2,000 career treys and 2,000 free throws while shooting above 40% from downtown and above 89% from the charity stripe. The only other two players in this club are Steph Curry and Ray Allen. “After years of youth leagues, AAU, high school basketball, four years at Duke, and 15 years in the NBA, I’m retiring from the game that I love so much,” Redick said on his podcast.

Redick has confirmed on his podcast this summer that he will wait before making a decision on where to play next “My focus right now is just hanging with my family and enjoying the offseason,’ said Redick. “And we’ll make a decision on next season—what team, what city, etc.—probably sometime in the next two or three months. But, you know, I would say, pretty much definitively, like, I won’t be in a training camp to start the season. That’s not gonna happen. So, you know, I’ll join a team at some point this season and finish the year and try to go get a chip.” According to Fisher’s report, several executives have speculated the Redick might retire if he does not come to terms with either New York or Brooklyn.

Redick won’t play on Saturday and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, “I think it would be unlikely that he’ll play in the series.” This is a chronic heel injury which Redick aggravated in mid-May, and it’s likely to become a question of pain tolerance. The Mavs will miss Redick’s shooting but there are no major fantasy implications.

Redick missed the final three games of the regular season due to the nagging heel injury. While there was some hope he’d return for the start of the playoffs, we now know he’ll miss at least Game 1. And the fact that’s he’s been ruled out more than 24 hours prior to tip-off is not an overly encouraging sign. Josh Richardson and Jalen Brunson will continue to soak up extra minutes in Redick’s absence.