With weeks to go before the start of the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers are exploring the possibility of a major roster change in the frontcourt. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, GM Rob Pelinka has been looking for a center to add to the rotation alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
"Sources tell me the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center to their roster," said Shams on NBA Today . "Not sure exactly when that will take place but they have started looking into the marketplace. Christian Wood remains sidelined, he's got a knee issue and he had surgery recently. Jaxson Hayes in the interim has really stepped up in training camp and he's been a positive factor for the Lakers. But another thing to keep an eye on is Christian Koloko. They signed him to a two-way contract before training camp and he was expected to play a potential reserve role on this roster. They felt confident he would be cleared by the league's fitness to play panel but that is still an ongoing process."
The Lakers aren't projected to be the best team this season but they have ambitions to be competitive and secure a top-six position in the West. To do that, they'll need more than LeBron James and Anthony Davis to make a difference.
Arguably their thinnest position is at the center spot, where no players currently stand out as a long-term solution. Christian Wood is injured and has proven unreliable in the past, Jaxson Hayes is still young and working through injuries of his own. Christian Koloko, despite the optimism, is a wild card at best who may not even get to see the floor in the opening weeks.
It's no secret that the Lakers plan on playing more size next to Anthony Davis and it's no wonder why. The All-Star big man struggled against center last season and he has expressed his desire to play power forward multiple times before. More time at his natural position which will allow him to reserve energy on defense to take on more of a scoring role for the Lakers. But with their current depth chart at center, it remains to be seen if such an arrangement could even work.
The question now is, which bigs could the Lakers target? A big man like Ivica Zubac could be a nice return. On a 1-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers , he'd come with relatively little risk to the Lakers and they already know his game after working with him previously for the first couple years of his career.
They could also target a big man like Deandre Ayton, a former No. 1 overall pick who is trying to rehabilitate his value in Portland. Ayton's $34 million contract remains a massive overpay but he's someone who might thrive under the direction and guidance of LeBron James.
Whether it's Ayton or someone less ambitious like Ivica Zubac, the Lakers are focusing on one particular area of need right now and it might be the move that makes or breaks their season. The last time they had a reliable and trustworthy player at center, they won the championship in 2020.
This time, the path to victory is even harder than ever before but if they play their cards right and avoid making costly mistakes, it could have the ultimate payoff when it's all said and done. But it all starts with getting better as a team and that's what the Lakers need to do if they want to keep up with the rest of the West.
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