NBA free agency is less than three weeks away, and the Los Angeles Lakers face an extremely important offseason ahead as they try to build their first real roster of the Luka Doncic era. The top item on the to-do list is adding a center, as their lack of a starting-caliber big man severely hurt them against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
It’s unclear at this point if the Lakers are going to add a starting center via trade or free agency — the options are slimmer in the latter route — but it’s widely known that they will add at that position. And one name that has already been floated is Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez.
Lopez played one season as a member of the Lakers before heading to the Bucks and becoming one of the best stretch bigs in the NBA. At age 37 he is no longer the player he once was, but Lopez still has incredible defensive instincts and can shoot the 3-ball. And according to Hardwood Paroxysm, his time with the Bucks may be coming to an end.
That said, I’m not expecting the roster to look the way it does now. The team is likely to retain Kevin Porter Jr.2 and most everyone I’ve spoken to assume Brook Lopez is gone.
Lopez might be one of the bigger names on the market. He’s certainly at the end of his career, but like Al Horford, he’s a complete pro and a winner who’s easy to fit into a team culture and find a role for, and still makes a difference defensively night to night.
An anonymous executive at one point suggested that the Lakers had already spoken to Lopez, likely as a joke as they cannot legally discuss terms with him yet, but the connection clearly exists.
The Lakers getting Lopez would not solve all their problems. They would still likely need another center. But he would be an improvement at the position from last season and would give the Lakers a trusted veteran stopgap to give important minutes to.
Jaxson Hayes denies rumor of wanting to leave Lakers
Jaxson Hayes performed admirably in the second half of the 2024-25 regular season and looked the part of a real rotation piece for the Lakers. Unfortunately though, he was phased out of the rotation as the Lakers’ first round series against the Timberwolves. Hayes was eventually benched in Game 5 and while he respected Redick’s decision, it stirred rumors that he’d leave Los Angeles in free agency this summer.
However, Hayes set the record straight on an Instagram comment, saying he has not yet made any decisions about his future.
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