The Los Angeles Lakers have not made any significant moves throughout this offseason. Free agents popped up and circulated around landing with the purple and gold, but ultimately all signed elsewhere. A position that the Lakers have been wanting to look deeper into is the center spot. The depth of the frontcourt is quite slim heading into the early part of the season. To start, it leaves Anthony Davis and just Jaxson Hayes as the healthy centers. Davis has let it known that his preference is to play power forward with another center in the lineup. This type of lineup dates back to the success the Lakers had in 2020. With this being the case for the purple and gold, the Lakers are exploring the trade market and will continue to do so as the season moves forward.
Lakers Rumors: Still Looking to Add Another Center
Davis Wanting to Play the Four For Lakers
After losing to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs the last two years, it has been clear that the Lakers need to add another center to the mix. A center that can play alongside Davis and back him up. New head coach JJ Redick has clarified wanting to add another center and liking Davis at the four.
JJ Redick says the Lakers want to add a ‘big, bruising’ center to roster https://t.co/aSl9w63qBy
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) July 15, 2024
“It’s definitely something we could use in our rotation,” Redick said. “What I really like is having AD at the four and him being able to be in that switching group while still having some size at the five with Jaxson. That part of it I like a lot.”
The Lakers are thin when it comes to the frontcourt they currently have. Going into the new season, Christian Wood was given an eight-week timetable on the shelf following his knee surgery in early September. This leaves Hayes and two-way player Colin Castleton as the only other healthy centers on the roster to work with. With the current depth in centers for the Lakers and the trade market, it doesn’t look like Davis will get his wish to play power forward anytime soon.
Lakers Still on the Hunt
With the lack of depth in the frontcourt and the trade market, there’s still optimism for LA moving forward. The Lakers have expressed and looked at the trade market for center upgrades. And it seems they are continuing to do so leading up to the start of the season. Per Shams Charania of ESPN,
“Sources tell me the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center to their roster. Not sure exactly when that will take place, but they have started looking into the market place. Christian Wood remains sidelined, he’s got a knee issue. He had surgery recently and so they’re waiting for him to get back. But Jaxson Hayes, in the interim, has really stepped up in training camp. He’s been a positive factor for the Lakers. But another thing to keep an eye on is Christian Koloko, they signed him to a two-way contract before training camp, he was expected to play a potential reserve role on this roster and our Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin and I have heard internally the Lakers doctors have felt confident that he will be cleared by the league’s fitness to play panel due to his blood clot issue, but that is still an ongoing process. The Lakers are still waiting for answers from the league, from the [Players Association] on his clearance, that’s going to be a major factor to keep an eye on because this was a guy in Koloko who was gonna play a potential role down the stretch of this Lakers season.”
BREAKING: The Lakers are exploring the market and potentially looking to add a center to the roster.
(via @ShamsCharania)
— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) October 10, 2024
Last Word
Last season, the Lakers tried several rotations at the center spot, so maybe they need to test the market to revitalize that position in Los Angeles. Helping out Davis is going to be vital in the team’s success moving forward. We’ll see if the Lakers can address this obvious gap in their roster construction. It’s good to see that they know it’s an issue and are still working to solve it. Throughout the season, we can expect the purple and gold to be linked to various trade targets at center. There has been a lot of trying this summer, but hopefully, they can land a new player who can give this team a much-needed boost at the center position.
