Rival teams expect the Lakers to draft a center with the 25th overall pick, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, who reports in his latest Substack story that the team has been connected to Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance and UConn’s Tarris Reed.

Quaintance is ranked No. 22 on ESPN’s big board, while Reed comes in at No. 33.

Quaintance was once a projected lottery pick, but some NBA teams are concerned with the status of his knee after he tore his ACL as a freshman with Arizona State in 2024/25, Fischer writes. The 6’9″ big man, who doesn’t turn 19 until next month, was limited to just four appearances with Kentucky in ’25/26.

It’s possible neither player will be on the board at No. 25. Fischer hears Reed has been linked to teams in the late teens, and a rival club could take a gamble on Quaintance’s upside if he falls into the 20s.

Here’s more draft-related chatter on the Lakers:

• Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times has also heard the chatter about the Lakers and Quaintance, and points to Dailyn Swain and Isaiah Evans as a couple of “best available” possibilities if they fall to No. 25. Texas wing Swain is ranked No. 23 on ESPN’s board, while Duke shooting guard Evans is No. 25. In general, the team is looking for rim-running centers and 3-and-D wings to complement Luka Doncic, Turner writes.
• According to Turner, the Lakers spent time in Spain scouting Sergio De Larrea, the 6’6″ guard who’s No. 30 on ESPN’s list. People familiar with the matter tell tell Turner that L.A. was impressed by Purdue’s Braden Smith when it hosted him for a pre-draft workout. However, the diminutive point guard is considered a likely second-round pick (he’s 39th on ESPN’s board), so he may not be under serious consideration for the Lakers unless they trade back or acquire a second-rounder.
• The following prospects have worked out for the Lakers in recent weeks, league sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link): Skyy Clark (UCLA), Oscar Cluff (Purdue), Josh Dix (Creighton), Roddy Gayle (Michigan), Nate Johnson (Kansas State), Trey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa St), Ebuka Okorie (Stanford), Reed of UConn, Kowacie Reeves (Georgia Tech), and Peter Suder (Miami OH). Okorie is the only projected first-rounder of that group, coming in at No. 24 on ESPN’s board.