Lakers must trade center to help LeBron and Anthony Davis win title, NBA rumors suggest News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers need depth at center and according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the team is exploring options to add a big man to the roster.

It must or risk wasting the final years of LeBron James’ career and the prime of Anthony Davis.

Christian Wood is still recovering from that Knee surgery while Christian Koloko is still awaiting clearance to fight after suffering blood clots in his lung. That leaves Jaxson Hayes as the primary replacement for Anthony Davis, who previously expressed his desire not to play at the fifth position.

There are options the team can consider.

Atlanta’s Clint Capela has an expiring $22 million contract that would immediately improve the Lakers’ roster and further establish them as a legitimate threat in the West, but the team would have to be willing to trade a valued player for him, which is what happened with the Hawks is probably not the case. Sit back and don’t accept anything significant in return.

Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and/or Jarred Vanderbilt would have to be involved in almost any deal the team would make, and even then, trading Vanderbilt to another team undermines the intent to get stronger at center.

That there wouldn’t be a signing beyond 2024 is equally concerning considering what the team would be giving up to acquire Capela, who averaged 25.8 minutes, 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and Scored 1.2 assists.

The Utah Jazz’s typically huge trade demand for Walker Kessler (two first-rounders per Marc Stein) means the talented young center is probably not a realistic option for the Lakers, even if he fits the team and could provide a strong one-two punch with Davis .

The team’s best option might be Robert Williams III, a defensive-minded center for the Portland Trailblazers. Although he has an injury history and has only played more than 50 games twice in his career, he can be acquired relatively easily by a team full of centers and at a reasonable cap hit of just under $12.5 million in 2024-25 become.

If the intent is to keep Davis at the center position and use Vanderbilt once he’s back at the start of the season, acquiring Williams carries far less risk because of depth than if the team had him as a fill-in and starter every game would need.

Williams is a career 72.9 percent shooter from the field, with 4.3 defensive rebounds, 2.6 offensive rebounds and 1.7 blocks. His stats won’t catch anyone’s eye, but he plays powerful defense and can give the team a level of toughness at the rim that they can use when looking to set the tone in a crowded Western Conference.

For a team that has championship aspirations under first-year coach JJ Redick, it can’t enter another season where James and Davis are healthy but a lack of depth behind them limits production and ultimately puts them in play-in games .

If the team lives up to expectations, the front office needs to make a deal to ensure quality where it’s needed. Otherwise, the result is another lost year from which neither of the organization’s two biggest stars have any benefit.

It won’t be easy, especially given the abysmal cap situation, but with a few creative maneuvers from the front office it should still be possible to make something work with a trade here and some salary dumping there to ensure the team can be Potential maximized.