The Los Angeles Lakers officially introduced first-round pick Cameron Carr on June 26, 2026, at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California. The franchise acquired the Baylor guard by trading up one spot with the New York Knicks, moving from No. 25 to No. 24 in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Speaking to reporters, Carr made it clear that his initial focus is absorbing knowledge from his new veteran teammates. “First things first is learn,” he said. “That’s a heck of an organization to walk into, especially with the level of guys I’m getting to play with. Just be a sponge as much as possible and soak up all the information they give.”
The rookie highlighted Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves—and potentially LeBron James—as players he hopes to help immediately through off-ball movement and athletic finishes. “Anytime I can make their job easy and cut, I’m going to do that,” Carr noted. “Hopefully I can make their job easy of just throw it by the basket, and I go dunk it for them.”
Carr’s athleticism was frequently cited during the pre-draft process, and the Lakers have emphasized adding more speed and leaping ability to the roster. The 22-year-old plans to showcase those traits during Summer League play, where he will share the court with fellow newcomer Adou Thiero.
Although he was a primary scorer at Baylor, Carr acknowledged that carving out minutes in Los Angeles will depend on his effectiveness without the ball. “You don’t get to wake up and be teammates with them every single day,” he said. “So just wake up and learn every single day, take it step by step.”
The guard described being drafted by the Lakers as an unforgettable milestone and said the excitement has only intensified since draft night.
Source: Lakers Nation
