Despite watching their season end at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in back-to-back years, the Los Angeles Lakers did not make any moves to upgrade the center position this offseason.
Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes are both back for another year after picking up their player options, but the former recently underwent knee surgery and will miss the start of the season.
The Lakers also have two-way centers Christian Koloko and Colin Castleton on the roster, but they lack experience, especially in matchups against dominant centers like Jokic. If Anthony Davis is forced to missed time due to injury then L.A. would be extremely thin in the frontcourt.
When asked about it at a recent press conference though, Lakers head coach JJ Redick seemed to downplay the team’s lack of a true center. Behind closed doors, however, the front office knows that is a need, via Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report:
After the presser, the Lakers privately clarified to B/R that they recognize adding a center with more girth is a priority. Until then, the team must get by with who they have, including two-way bigs Colin Castleton and Christian Koloko.
The Lakers have two tradable first-round picks at their disposal if they wanted to go out and get a center between now and the trade deadline in February.
One name they have already been linked to is Jonas Valanciunas, who signed with the Washington Wizards this offseason but could potentially be dealt at some point.
The Lakers will likely go into the season with what they have though and assess after a handful of games, so hopefully they are able to manage until a move bolsters the roster for the stretch run.
JJ Redick previously acknowledged Lakers’ need to add center
Even though he downplayed it at the recent press conference, JJ Redick previously acknowledged the Lakers’ need to add a center.
“You certainly have to look at what I think is actually a very good roster, a very balanced roster. We’d love to, we tried, but we’d love to, at some point, get another five man, a big bruising five man. You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey, certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”
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!