The Los Angeles Lakers suddenly have a need for a backup center after reportedly trading Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks. The Lakers obviously preferred the flexibility that came with acquiring the picks over Ayton being Walker Kessler’s backup, believing they can still find a quality center on the free agent market.
One of the best free agent centers remaining was a familiar face in Andre Drummond, but he is choosing to sign with the New York Knicks despite interest from teams like the Lakers, per Shams Charania of ESPN:
Free agent center Andre Drummond has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million to sign with the New York Knicks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/VybK9XswUY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026
Drummond fills a vital center need for the Knicks after the departure of Mitchell Robinson. The Mount Vernon, New York native had interest from multiple other teams, including the Lakers, but made a decision Friday. https://t.co/JV3ooELy4T
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026
Drummond would have been a solid addition for the Lakers as he remains a great rebounder and has even developed a bit of a corner 3-point shot in recent years with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is set to turn 33 next month, however, and doesn’t really fit with the youth movement the Lakers are going with after losing some of his athleticism in recent years. As things currently stand, Austin Reaves is the oldest player on L.A.’s roster at 28.
This is a fine addition for the Knicks though after losing their own backup center Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics in free agency. The Knicks return most of their core in 2026-27 and seem poised to make a run at repeating as NBA Champions.
Other backup center options for Lakers
The Lakers also lost their own backup center as Jaxson Hayes wound up agreeing to a two-year contract with the Utah Jazz, helping them replace the loss of Kessler.
With both Hayes and Drummond off the board, the Lakers’ options seem to be dwindling. They could pivot to someone like Nick Richards, Kevon Looney or Jonas Valanciunas if he gets waived by the Denver Nuggets, as is expected to be the case.
If the Lakers do not like any of those options then perhaps they turn to the trade market as they are now loaded with three tradable second-round picks after the Ayton deal. L.A. clearly needs to add another big man at some point in the offseason, it just remains to be seen how they will do so.
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