The Los Angeles Lakers have gone through a lot of sagas since the end of the NBA season. They got JJ Redick and are planning to clear more space after LeBron James opted out of his deal. So, what's the next move? Well, it looks like they are getting some reinforcements to help Anthony Davis. This could come in the form of getting the Milwaukee Bucks' splash mountain in Brook Lopez or acquiring the New Orleans Pelicans' Lithuanian Lightning in Jonas Valanciunas.
Rob Pelinka and the Lakers know that their championship window is getting smaller by the day. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both getting old which means they should capitalize on building around them while they are still in their primes. However, there seem to be hurdles in the big man position that they need to overcome. This is where Brook Lopez and Jonas Valanciunas enter.
The Lakers are reportedly eyeing a trade for Brook Lopez, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. The big man who can pull from deep and erase jumpshots at their apex could be a huge help for the squad. He is currently averaging 12.5 points on an insane 48.5% clip from all three levels of scoring. Moreover, his outside shot has been falling 36.6% of the time. He would also help out Anthony Davis become more flexible on both ends of the floor. Lopez can be the rim protector while The Brow can thrive on roaming. Adding a 2.4 blocks per game guy is going to give them a big boost.
Another guy in the mix of all these trade rumors is Jonas Valanciunas. The Lakers are going to get a 12.2 points-a-night guy who knocks down his shots from the field with a 55.9% percentage. Unbeknownst to many, Valanciunas has also developed a three-pointer. It might not be as potent as Lopez but those shots he takes from deep go down 30.8% of the time.
The Lakers' need for a secondary big man
Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood are both serviceable players but the amount of production they are giving the LeBron James-led squad might not be cutting it. Their overall impact in helping Davis on the inside whether it is on the boards or in rim protection has not been that great either.
Opponents shot at a 54% clip whenever they got a look within the arc. This ranks the Lakers 14th in the league when it comes to that statistic. Having either one of these aforementioned names is surely going to increase that number. Their block percentage also ranks 12th in the league with a valuation of 5.9% per game. These two have had great stretches of being primary rim protectors. There is no question that they will have both Wood and Hayes beat in that category too.
It is clear what the Lakers want out of NBA Free Agency. A big man who has a good outside shooting stroke while also being a good rebounder and rim protector is what they are shopping for. Will they get one of these guys eventually?
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