Lakers Former Second-Round Pick Exercises Option with Toronto Raptors

Svi Mykhailuk has opted into the final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors.

During the Lakers wilderness years, scores of names filtered through the organization as the team scrambled for relevancy after Kobe Bryant retired. There were a few, like Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, who would go on to be productive players elsewhere, but plenty, that never quite had an impact in the Lakers dark ages. 

Svi Mykhailiuk was one of those names that most Lakers fans have probably forgotten. The name popped up on NBA Twitter today after the Lakers second-round pick in 2018 opted into the second and final year of his contract with the Toronto Raptors. 

Toronto Raptors‘ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has exercised his $1.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2022

The 25-year-old Mykhailiuk carved out a rotational role on the Raptors this year. He averaged 12.8 minutes per game in 56 games for Toronto this season. Prior to signing with the Raptors last summer, Svi played for the Thunder and Pistons in the 2020-2021 season. 

In March of 2021, Mykhailiuk was traded to the Thunder with a second round draft pick for Hamidou Diallo. 

His rookie year on the Lakers lasted just 39 games. In February of 2019, he was traded to Detroit in exchange for Reggie Bullock.