The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga came to an unceremonious end when he agreed to a two-year deal to join the Minnesota Timberwolves. He took less money than the Lakers offered in favor of a more defined role and a chance to get back to free agency quicker, but it left the Lakers with a hole at the starting power forward spot. It’s unclear if Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle or Sandro Mamukelashvili will be the fifth starter at this stage. The Lakers could also try and land another player on the trade market.
Regardless, it will likely be a camp battle to determine the fifth starter, and Williams will certainly be one of the players vying for it. Williams fits the archetype of a lengthy, versatile defender that the Lakers need in the starting lineup, but his lack of offense could lead L.A. in another direction. Williams spoke about this and the Kuminga pursuit, via Ryan Ward on SI:
“Yeah, I do, and I mean that’s the GM’s job, right to put the best pieces together to try to win a championship. I don’t think it’s altered whether or not Kuminga was here. I wish him the best of luck in Minnesota, but as a team, we’re focused on the guys we have and making a deep playoff run and winning an NBA championship and I think we have the tools to do so.”
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are going to start when healthy. Quentin Grimes seems to be a likely fourth choice, meaning the Lakers will want some size for the fifth starter. They want someone who can primarily guard small and power forwards, as Reaves and Grimes will guard most opposing guards and Doncic will mostly be put on bigger players.
Williams somewhat fits the bill at 6-foot-9, but falls short on the size at around 185 pounds. It will be an important first decision for head coach JJ Redick with this new roster, with many potential options at his disposal.
Lakers still trying to make moves
As Williams said, it’s up to the general manager to assemble the pieces, and Rob Pelinka is reportedly still working to do that after striking out on Kuminga. The Lakers are rumored to still be looking for trades to upgrade the roster, using Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt as potential outgoing salary pieces. L.A. has to cut down their roster by one player regardless, and would ideally not want to waive a player outright.
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