Draft night belongs to L.A.: Clippers grab Wagler at five, Lakers trade up for Carr
The Clippers landed Illinois combo guard Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 pick, then the Lakers moved up a spot for Baylor wing Cameron Carr — a night that reshaped both rosters.
Good morning! It was an L.A. kind of Tuesday. The Clippers used the pick they pried from Indiana to take Keaton Wagler at No. 5; the Lakers paid the Knicks cash to jump to No. 24 for Cameron Carr; the Dodgers hammered the Twins 12-3 behind seven strong from Justin Wrobleski; Manny Machado walked it off again as the Padres edged the Braves 7-6; and the Liberty cooled off the Aces in Las Vegas. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏀 Clippers go guard. Los Angeles takes Illinois’ Keaton Wagler at No. 5, a 6-6 combo guard built to play next to Darius Garland — Grant Mona reports.
🏀 Lakers move up. L.A. sends cash to the Knicks to jump to No. 24 and grab Baylor’s Cameron Carr, a 3-and-D wing for Luka Dončić — Carlos Yakimowich has it.
⚾ Dodgers roll. Justin Wrobleski works seven innings and the offense piles on 17 hits in a 12-3 rout of the Twins — Fredo Cervantes from Minneapolis.
⚾ Manny, again. Machado’s extra-inning single caps a comeback as the Padres beat the Braves 7-6 for a second straight night — Eric Evelhoch at Petco Park.
🏀 Liberty cool the Aces. New York holds the defending champs under 80 in an 87-76 win at Michelob ULTRA Arena — Arion Armeniakos in Las Vegas.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — TUESDAY, JUNE 23
🏀 NBA Draft (Round 1): Clippers select Keaton Wagler (No. 5) · Lakers trade up for Cameron Carr (No. 24)
⚾ MLB: Dodgers 12, Twins 3 · Angels 5, Orioles 1 · Padres 7, Braves 6 (extras)
🏀 WNBA: Liberty 87, Aces 76
🏀 A DRAFT NIGHT MADE FOR L.A.
Two L.A. franchises walked away from Tuesday with the pieces they came for. The Clippers, sitting at No. 5 on a pick acquired from Indiana, passed on a run of pure point guards to take Wagler — a 6-foot-6 combo guard who can play on or off the ball and slot cleanly alongside Garland, with Kawhi Leonard and Bennedict Mathurin already in the fold. He averaged 17.9 points on 39.7 percent shooting from three as Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Illinois.
Up the freeway, the Lakers were hunting length and shooting for Dončić. When Carr slid, they sent the Knicks cash to climb from 25 to 24 and grabbed the Baylor wing — a 6-5, 7-1 wingspan athlete with a 42-inch vertical who profiles as a 3-and-D fit. The Lakers have no second-round pick Wednesday; their next move is free agency, where the futures of Austin Reaves and LeBron James loom.
GO DEEPER
› Grant Mona: Clippers draft Keaton Wagler with the 5th overall pick (The Sporting Tribune)
› Carlos Yakimowich: Lakers trade up to take Cameron Carr at No. 24 (The Sporting Tribune)
TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE
Today’s TST Best Bets are brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Join here — new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
⚾ DODGERS BURY THE TWINS IN MINNESOTA
After a rain delay, the Dodgers turned a one-run game into a laugher, scoring in bunches for a 12-3 win that pushed them to 51-29. Every hitter in the lineup reached base and the team matched a season high with 17 hits. Freddie Freeman doubled twice — the first tying Carlos Beltrán for 28th on the all-time list at 565 — while Mookie Betts, Andy Pages and Max Muncy all drove in runs late.
Wrobleski was the steady hand: seven innings, five hits, two earned, dropping his ERA to 2.71 for a pitcher who began spring outside the rotation. The Dodgers go for the sweep Wednesday with Shohei Ohtani on the mound against Joe Ryan.
› Fredo Cervantes: Wrobleski, Dodgers dominate Twins in blowout win (The Sporting Tribune)
🏀 LIBERTY SHUT OFF THE WATER IN VEGAS
In the teams’ first meeting of the season, New York throttled the Aces’ offense and held the defending champions under 80 in an 87-76 win. A’ja Wilson never found rhythm, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, while the Liberty got 20 from Breanna Stewart and 12 off the bench from Han Xu. Becky Hammon called it a useful learning night — fitting, with the two set to meet again soon in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
› Arion Armeniakos: Aces fall to Liberty in first matchup of the year (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
⚾ MLB: Orioles at Angels— ABTV — 1:07 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Dodgers at Twins— SportsNet —4:40 p.m. PT
⚾ MLB: Braves at Padres — Padres TV — 5:40 p.m. PT
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME TODAY?
Get-in prices across Southern California and Las Vegas — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
⚾ MLB: Orioles at Angels — Angel Stadium — $4
⚾ MLB: Braves at Padres — Petco Park — $16
🌴 TWO-MARKET TRIVIA
The Clippers drafted Keaton Wagler at No. 5 using a first-round pick they acquired in a midseason trade. Which team did that pick come from?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
Today’s episode breaks down a true L.A. draft night — the Clippers betting on Wagler at five, the Lakers trading up for Carr — plus the Dodgers’ rout in Minnesota and the Aces’ stumble against the Liberty. Hear it on the radio across Southern California and Las Vegas via Westwood One Sports.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: The Indiana Pacers. The Clippers acquired the pick in a midseason deal that sent Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and future selections.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.