Free agency hasn’t officially begun, but there’s plenty of buzz around the Los Angeles Lakers and what they’ll do to bolster their roster.
The Lakers are expected to be one of the most aggressive teams this summer as they try to surround their star trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves with more talent and depth. However, the tricky part is Los Angeles is limited in terms of draft capital and desirable players to offer in a trade while not having any cap space to boot either.
Despite the tough circumstances, the Lakers are still going to be in the running for several free agents looking to win and play a large role. For example, Los Angeles has been linked to Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez, who is expected to find a new home.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, it appears rival teams are already bracing for the Lakers to make a run at Lopez:
This time around, however, numerous rival teams are bracing for the center-craving Los Angeles Lakers to make a run at luring Lopez away from the Bucks.
Even if the Lakers plan to address their center void by pursuing Atlanta’s Clint Capela instead or perhaps a target not as frequently discussed, there is a growing belief Lopez will indeed be on the move next week after a highly successful seven-season stint alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As things stand now, Los Angeles can offer Lopez the taxpayer mid-level exception, which is valued just under $6 million and that could very well be the veteran’s market. Unfortunately for the Lakers, other contending teams will have similar spending power and could sway Lopez depending on how things shake out.
While not a rim-running lob threat, Lopez is a solid 3-point shooter and big enough to contest shots at the rim. Those two traits alone would make him a valuable piece for L.A., though there are absolutely concerns about playing him heavy minutes this late into his career.
Signing Lopez and perhaps one other center makes the most sense for the Lakers, but they’ll need to be prudent in how they allocate their limited resources when building out the roster.
Lakers extend two-way qualifying offer to Christian Koloko
The other way the Lakers can solidify their frontcourt depth is through their two-way contracts. As of now, only Trey Jemison is on a two-way deal, but the team did offer a qualifying offer to Christian Koloko, making him a restricted free agent.
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