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The Los Angeles Lakers will have some work to do in the offseason, and it starts with fixing some of the holes on the roster. One of the main issues on the team throughout the entire season was their lack of center depth, and the hope is that they can make it a priority to get a good piece at the position.
There are already a few names that are being floated around that the Lakers may target, according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha.
“The two most common names that I've heard are Nic Claxton and Daniel Gafford,” Buha said on his podcast. “Those are the two best centers are expected to be potentially available. With Gafford, you already have Lively and AD, and he's up for an extension. For Nic Claxton, Brooklyn is in this weird in-between space where they don't have blue-chip talent.
“You've heard Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, Steven Adams, the primary guys on the center market.”
Later on in the video, Buha was asked what his intuition tells him as far as who the Lakers could get.
“If the Lakers had not made the Luka trade, I think my intuition would have pointed to Gafford because I think Gafford is going to be available, and there is a clear framework there that the Lakers can get to the salary relatively easy, and it would make some sense,” Buha said. “I would say right now, I'd lean to Claxton or Clint Capela.”
None of the options that Buha noted were bad, and they would all be an upgrade from what the Lakers were essentially working with for most of the season.
Who could the Lakers target at center in the offseason?
The Lakers have a few options to choose from that could help them next season, and someone like Claxton would be a nice fit. He's a traditional center who's a solid rim protector, and his interior presence would help the Lakers. If they wanted a veteran who could do those things, Capela would be an option, and he may be cheaper than Claxton.
If the Lakers wanted a center who could stretch the floor, Lopez would be the best option, and he also offers some rim protection. It shouldn't be hard for the Lakers to get their center of choice in free agency because most players would want the chance to play with someone like Luka Doncic, who's going to get them easy shots.
