The Los Angeles Lakers got washed out of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games on Wednesday night. The Lakers' lack of quality options at the center position was a clear problem throughout the series, so it's no surprise president and general manager Rob Pelinka came out Thursday and said one of the “primary goals” of the offseason would be to upgrade the position.

Pelinka followed up by discussing what he's looking for in a center for the Lakers: “To have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that can protect the interior defensively, I think those would be keys. But there's multiple different types of centers that can be very effective in the league. There's also spread centers that can protect the rim, we'll look at those as well. I wouldn't want to limit the archetype, but I know we need a big man.”

The Lakers' lead executive added that he wants to “solidify the defensive core on the wings,” calling it an “essential need.”

Lakers' roster after Luka Doncic trade

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While making the Luka Doncic trade was a no-brainer, Pelinka admitted it left the Lakers' roster in a weird place. With Anthony Davis out of the picture, they didn't have a reliable center, and the attempt to trade for Mark Williams fell apart because of medical concerns.

Jaxson Hayes was an okay option in the regular season, but he was ineffective against the Timberwolves and didn't play much. Alex Len was the only other center on the playoff roster, and he played two minutes in the series. Maxi Kleber returned for Game 5 and played five minutes.

Aside from the center position, Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn't trust his depth in general. Redick infamously played the same lineup  the entire second half of Game 4, resulting in a gassed team and a blown double-digit lead. He gave his bench a bit more time in Game 5, but to no avail.

Pelinka made a good trade to acquire Dorian Finney-Smith before the deadline, but as he noted, the team needs more depth on the wing. As good as Doncic is overall, he's not exactly a defensive stopper, and neither is Austin Reaves. LeBron James isn't what he once was defensively, and Rui Hachimura is just okay. Los Angeles needs more able bodies on the wing to get defensive stops.

Pelinka and the Lakers have plenty of work to do this summer, and he'll be under pressure to make the right moves as LeBron nears the end of his career.