With first-round playoff exits, the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers both concluded their 2024–25 seasons far earlier than expected. Now, the two Hollywood teams are anticipating a possibly hectic offseason.
Both teams appear to be preparing similarly for the 2025 NBA Draft, which is just one month away. The Clippers have two picks in the June draft—the 30th and the 51st—while the Lakers only have one, at 55th overall.
Both teams may be fighting for talents down the board, such as Kentucky outstanding guard Lamont Butler, since neither has a high pick.
Before moving to Kentucky for his final season of NCAA basketball, 22-year-old Butler played four seasons at San Diego State. Although he isn’t at the top of many draft boards, the Lakers and Clippers might be ready to take a chance on the 2023–24 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler was allegedly worked out by the Lakers and Clippers before the draft next month.
In his only season at Kentucky, Butler averaged 49.8/39.1/73.5 shooting splits with 11.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. The fact that two elite organisations are inviting the 6-foot-2 guard to work out is encouraging for him because he has many skills on both sides of the court that he can use in the NBA.
At the end of their bench, these veteran-led teams might be in dire need of a high-motor, athletic guard with outstanding defensive capabilities. As day two of the NBA Draft draws to a close, keep an eye on Lamont Butler because both the Lakers and the Clippers have late second-round selections.
