The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most active teams since the start of free agency, adding the likes of Dennis Schroder, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol to a roster that just won the NBA championship.
Gasol was brought in to fill the void of Dwight Howard, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers over the weekend. To make the finances work, L.A. traded JaVale McGee to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell.
For the Lakers, most of the heavy lifting is done. One of the last pieces of business to take care of is agreeing to terms on a new contract with Anthony Davis, which could happen shortly after Thanksgiving.
While Davis has experience playing center, the team could stand to add more depth at the position, even with the signings of Harrell and Gasol.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are searching the market for reliable big men to fill out their roster:
Even though Davis is more than capable at center and played the position plenty during the Lakers’ postseason run, sources told ESPN that it remains a priority for L.A.’s front office to fill the roster with other reliable centers so that Davis doesn’t have to bear the brunt of the position during the arduous regular season.
Among the top free-agent centers the Lakers could turn to are Frank Kaminsky, Ian Mahinimi and Tyson Chandler. The group also included Hassan Whiteside, who easily has the highest ceiling, but joined the Sacramento Kings.
The seven-footer is coming off an excellent season with the Portland Trail Blazers that saw him average a career-high 15.5 points in 30 minutes per game with 13.5 rebounds and a league-best 2.9 blocks.
The Lakers haven’t yet been publicly linked to any of the aforementioned names, but perhaps that will change this week as they ramp up efforts to add another center to the roster.
DeMarcus Cousins reportedly signing with Rockets
One potential option at center that recently came off the board is DeMarcus Cousins, who reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Houston Rockets.
Cousins spent most of the 2019-20 NBA season with the Lakers but never appeared in a game after tearing his ACL and was waived this past February.
While there were rumblings the two sides had mutual interest in a reunion this offseason, Cousins will instead look to revitalize his career with the Rockets.
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