The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be one of the busiest teams in the NBA this offseason as they look to shore up their roster.
The Lakers have a chance to win a title with their core of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, so president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka should be busy on the phones looking for upgrades. So far, most of the buzz has been in the center market as Los Angeles is well-aware they need to add more size in the painted area.
The list of targets is vast, though names like Walker Kessler are the most prominent because of his youth and ability to grow alongside Doncic.
While center is an obvious need for the Lakers, it appears they’re also sniffing around the trade market for wings and a move could come as soon as this week, via Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
“The Lakers aren’t just looking for a center, they are actively looking for wing players too. Look, you can be actively looking for whoever you want, doesn’t mean you will make a deal. But the Lakers are in conversations about trying to get wing players because they need wing defenders. The thing is, if they’re committed to Austin Reaves and they’re committed to Luka playing together, they gotta have more defense than just the center… I would expect the Lakers to do something before the end of the week trade-wise. I don’t know if it’s gonna be their center, but they’re definitely messing around.”
The Lakers are certainly short on athletic wing players who can defend on the perimeter, so it’s no surprise they’re looking to upgrade at that position. Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt are the team’s primary wing defenders, though the former is slower at this stage of his career while the latter is an offensive negative.
Players like Andrew Wiggins come to mind as a perfect fit for what the Lakers need, though there are other players who could potentially be had. Los Angeles should be aggressive turning over every stone for a meaningful upgrade as they have a legitimate shot of making a deep playoff run next year.
Lakers focused on sealing organizational leaks over last year
The current Lakers regime may run smaller than other teams, but they’ve done well to keep big moves under wraps. In fact, the organization reportedly made it a focus to seal off leaks this past year.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
