{"id":60526,"date":"2024-01-01T10:00:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T15:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=60526"},"modified":"2023-12-31T18:53:02","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T23:53:02","slug":"los-angeles-lakers-two-trade-targets-for-help-at-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/01\/01\/los-angeles-lakers-two-trade-targets-for-help-at-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Lakers: Two Trade Targets for Help at Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the themes for the Lakers in 2023 is inconsistency. Whether it\u2019s being unable to close out games or struggling to find consistent opportunities for every player, this team hasn\u2019t been able to get into a rhythm.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the positions significantly impacted by the inconsistency is the center spot. <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/b><\/a> has been excellent to start the 2023 season, but it\u2019s become clear he can\u2019t dominate in the paint by himself. <\/span>Christian Wood<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Jaxson Hayes<\/b><\/a> have split time<\/a> as AD\u2019s backup, trying to offer stability when he\u2019s not on the floor. However, it\u2019s evident the Lakers may need an upgrade there to boost their rotation. Two veteran bigs from the Eastern Conference could help with that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers: Two Trade Targets for Help at Center<\/b><\/h2>\n

Andre Drummond<\/b><\/h3>\n

A two-time All Star and four-time rebounding champ, 11-year veteran <\/span>Andre Drummond<\/b><\/a> is still going strong with the Chicago Bulls. In 34 games, Drummond is averaging seven points, eight rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks on 54% shooting from the field. He showed out in his recent games. Drummond logged <\/span>24 points and 25 rebounds<\/span><\/a> against the Hawks last Tuesday, and a 15-point, 23-rebound performance against the 76ers on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drummond, who last played for the Lakers in 2020-21, could offer them much-needed physicality and size in the paint. He\u2019d resort to a backup role compared to the starting spot he once had next to Davis and <\/span>LeBron James<\/b><\/a>, but it shouldn\u2019t be an issue this time around. Drummond\u2019s presence at 6-foot-11 and 279 pounds would be key for a bench that scores 17.5 points in the paint per game but gives up 16.7. It\u2019s also worth noting the Lakers are second in defensive rebounds per game (35.4), but 17th in overall boards (43.8).<\/span><\/p>\n

A second stint with Andre Drummond would benefit both him and the Lakers. He\u2019d be able to help this year\u2019s team immensely, and his familiarity with James and Davis is an added bonus. The fact that he\u2019s on an expiring $3 million salary could make him an easy get, possibly as part of a larger deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jakob Poeltl<\/b><\/h3>\n

28-year-old Raptors center <\/span>Jakob Poeltl<\/b><\/a> has made a name for himself as a starting-caliber big in the NBA. But following <\/span>the Raptors\u2019 major trade with the Knicks<\/span><\/a>, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Poeltl is one of the next names on Toronto\u2019s trade block. Across 32 games, Poeltl is averaging 10.4 points (on a career-high 70% FG), 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks. He recently recorded a season-high 19 points (9\/15 FG) in a Dec. 22 loss to the Sixers, and he has tallied five double-doubles this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poeltl has established himself in recent years, and could help the Lakers by either backing up or starting alongside Anthony Davis. He\u2019s capable of putting up <\/span>monster performances<\/span><\/a>, and he\u2019s displayed impressive <\/span>bursts of athleticism<\/span><\/a> on fast breaks. Additionally, Poeltl has excelled in the pick-and-roll this season. He has generated 1.46 points per possession (3.2 PPG) on 77% shooting from the field\u2014putting him in the 90th percentile. He\u2019s also a solid defender, protecting the rim with a career average of 1.2 swats per game. Finally, though it\u2019s limited, Poeltl has three years of playoff experience. In the 2019 postseason, he averaged 7.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists on nearly 64% shooting from the field. He\u2019s proven he\u2019s can contribute to winning basketball, and would be a tremendous addition to the Lakers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having Poeltl with\u2014and particularly without\u2014AD on the floor would be huge for LA. He\u2019d be a harder target for them with his $19.5 million salary, but he should still be on the team\u2019s radar if they want to solidify their backup options.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Lakers\u2019 recent play has shown several holes that need to be patched up. They could be one or a few trades away from making serious noise in the Western Conference again. Helping James and Davis by addressing the center role is key towards the Lakers\u2019 growth. Drummond and Poeltl are two candidates Rob Pelinka should consider as the 2024 trade deadline approaches.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the themes for the Lakers in 2023 is inconsistency. Whether it\u2019s being unable to close out games or struggling to find consistent opportunities for every player, this team hasn\u2019t been able to get into a rhythm. One of the positions significantly impacted by the inconsistency is the center spot. Anthony Davis has been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":60528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,8,26,62,14,4721],"tags":[341,240,3145,968,1962,38],"class_list":["post-60526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bulls","category-lakers","category-nba","category-raptors","category-trade-rumors","tag-andre-drummond","tag-anthony-davis","tag-christian-wood","tag-jakob-poeltl","tag-jaxson-hayes","tag-lebron-james"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}