The Los Angeles Lakers have scouted players that have made a lot of money in the NBA over the last 9 seasons.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t known for scouting and development, often being considered the marquee destination that can sign any player they want. While the latter is true, people forget that the Lakers have drafted extremely well since 2014, even if the drafted players didn’t end up becoming stars for the Lakers.
So what does this record look like? Do the Lakers actually have a terrific draft record, or is this yet another example of Lakers bias? Our analysis has proven which side of the coin this falls on.
2014 NBA Draft
Julius Randle: four-year, $117 million
This streak of terrific draft selections by the Lakers started when they picked Julius Randle in 2014. Though he broke his leg early in his rookie season, he bounced back and proved to be a valuable player for the Lakers before he was traded away to make salary room for LeBron James in 2018.
Randle would ultimately get paid by the New York Knicks, who gave him his current contract after he established himself as an All-NBA and All-Star player.
2015 NBA Draft
D’Angelo Russell: two-year, $36 Million
Larry Nance Jr.: two-year, $21 million
D’Angelo Russell was another player the Lakers would end up trading away to accommodate salary space to sign LeBron James, with his first big contract coming to him when the Warriors sign-and-traded him for Kevin Durant in 2019 and gave him a max contract that expired this summer. He signed a two-year, $36 million extension with the Lakers in the offseason after rejoining the team in February via trade.
Larry Nance Jr. also wouldn’t get paid by the Lakers. Unlike D’Lo, Nance got his first big contract on a team with LeBron on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s currently on the Pelicans and will remain under contract until the end of next season
2016 NBA Draft
Brandon Ingram: five-year, $160 million
Ivica Zubac: three-year, $33 million
Brandon Ingram showed his star potential during his three seasons with the Lakers, but he’d end up being moved before his first major extension to bring Anthony Davis to the Lakers. He had a breakout season with the Pelicans in 2019-20 and earned a five-year, $160 million max from the Lousiaina-based franchise.
Ivica Zubac also didn’t get paid by the Lakers, but he did get paid in LA. The Lakers moved the center to the Clippers for virtually nothing to make salary cap space for the 2019 offseason. He’s become an integral starter for LAC and earned a three-year, $33 million extension in the summer of 2022.
2017 NBA Draft
Lonzo Ball: four-year, $85 million
Kyle Kuzma: four-year, $102 million
Josh Hart: four-year, $81 million
Thomas Bryant: two-year, $5.4 million
The 2017 NBA Draft was a massively successful one for the Lakers, as they picked four players who are all still in the NBA. Lonzo Ball has had his prime cut short by injuries, but he was included in the Anthony Davis trade as arguably the most promising player in the deal. He was paid by the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2021.
Kyle Kuzma managed to stay with the Lakers and get his first contract after he won the 2020 championship with the squad. It was a team-friendly two-year, $26 million contract that the Lakers traded him to the Wizards on. Thankfully, Kuzma blossomed in Washington and commanded a four-year, $102 million extension this summer.
Josh Hart was a throwaway inclusion in the Davis trade and was regarded as a fantastic hustle piece with a limited ceiling. Despite playing for the Pelicans, Blazers, and now the Knicks, Hart established his value in the NBA. He was just given a four-year, $81 million extension on the Knicks this summer.
Thomas Bryant is the worst success story on here, as he has dealt with injuries and made poor team choices. He won the 2023 title with the Nuggets and signed a two-year, $5.4 million contract with the Miami Heat this summer.
2018 NBA Draft
Mo Wagner: two-year, $16 million
Wagner was also included in the Anthony Davis trade but was sent to the Washington Wizards in that deal. The German center had a slow start in the NBA, even getting waived by the Boston Celtics in 2021. Thankfully, he had a great season with the Magic last year and earned a two-year, $16 million contract to play alongside his brother Franz.
2019 NBA Draft
Talen Horton-Tucker: three-year, $31 million
The Lakers had extremely high hopes for Talen Horton-Tucker after the 2020 championship win, with the roster and coaching staff being impressed with his versatile scoring ability. That got him a three-year, $31 million deal in the summer of 2021. He would later be traded after not living up to his price tag and needs a big season with the Jazz to secure a long-term extension at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Undrafted Players
Alex Caruso: four-year, $37 million
Austin Reaves: four-year, $56 million
Two of the biggest Lakers success stories in recent memory as Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves. Both players were discovered by the scouting team as completely unheralded prospects. Caruso earned his way to the Lakers rotation after grinding in the G League, while Reaves blossomed due to the opportunity provided by the awful 2021-22 Lakers roster.
The Lakers made the mistake of not giving Caruso the contract he wanted, as he signed with the Chicago Bulls on his four-year, $37 million deal in the summer of 2021. They didn’t make the same mistake with Reaves, extending the talented scorer on a bargain four-year, $56 million contract.
Many current young players are still on the rookie contracts they signed with the team, so it’ll be interesting to see what sums they can fetch, whether it’s with LA or somewhere else. What we know is that Lakers prospects end up getting paid somewhere in the league, and the same may apply to their current crop of young talent in Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, Maxwell Lewis, and others.
