The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be moving from the Hassan Whiteside sweepstakes to explore other options at the center position. Timofey Mozgov of the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers is rumored to be one of the team’s targets.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Lakers are going after Mozgov in free agency:
The Lakers are making a serious run at Cleveland free agent center Timofey Mozgov, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 1, 2016
After a disappointing season with Roy Hibbert in the paint, Mozgov may be an upgrade for the Lakers at center. Mozgov didn’t get much playing time with the Cavaliers last season with his minutes cut considerably from last year to this year going from 25.0 per game to 17.4.
With the Lakers seemingly out of the running for the majority of the top-tier free agents, Los Angeles could already be focusing on other options with Mozgov potentially being one of many.
Other notable free agents the team has been linked to include Chandler Parsons, Ryan Anderson, Kent Bazemore, and Evan Turner.