The Los Angeles Lakers have been far quieter than expected at the start of NBA free agency. They quickly agreed to terms on a two-year contract with forward Jake LaRavia and lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets, but otherwise have not made any moves. And as things stand early Wednesday morning, the Lakers do not have a center on their roster.
Free agent centers Brook Lopez, Clint Capela and Luka Kornet have all found homes already, leaving Deandre Ayton as the only major center available to sign on the open market. If L.A. doesn’t land him, they’ll be required to get one via trade.
And all reports are suggesting that the Lakers might already be on the search for a center on the trade market as opposed to free agency. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers are monitoring specific situations to land themselves a center via trade:
“I spoke to a source with familiarity about what the Lakers are thinking today, and they’re weighing several trade scenarios, I’m told, to try to acquire this center. One of which, and I don’t have the name so we just have to maybe rely on Bobby and the trade machine here, that they are talking to a team that they think will be going after another trade and that other trade will end up having a surplus center for that team and then the Lakers can approach them for a trade.”
McMenamin says he does not have a name for the specific center the Lakers are targeting, and that’s possibly because it requires knowledge of deals that other teams are working on that would leave a franchise with an expendable number of centers.
These rumors could suggest that the Lakers are not feeling hopeful about their odds to land Ayton in free agency, or that they would prefer another player over him. They could also suggest that L.A. is simply doing due diligence in case other options fall through.
Either way, the Lakers need a center. And they need to acquire one before the market runs completely dry and the trade prices go up when teams see desperation.
Lakers showing interest in Al Horford
One of the other few remaining free agent big men is Al Horford, who is expected to find a new home away from the Boston Celtics with them shedding salary. The Golden State Warriors are seen as favorites to land Horford, but the Lakers have also registered interest given their need for centers.
Horford is in no way a perfect fit, but brings a unique skillset that could help the Lakers for one year.
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