The Los Angeles Lakers could revisit their trade interest in Onyeka Okongwu after the Atlanta Hawks acquired Kristaps Porzingis.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Hawks’ starting center last season was on the Lakers’ radar as a potential lob partner for Luka Doncic.
“The Lakers called the Atlanta Hawks about their 6-10, athletic big man Onyeka Okongwu last season, sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote.
Okongwu seized the starting role in Atlanta midway through last season. The 24-year-old center who boasts a 7-foot-2 wingspan averaged 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists with 1.2 steals and nearly a block in 31.2 minutes across 40 starts last season.
“I feel overall I’ve always had the tools, but since I became a starter, it’s just putting it all together,” Okongwu said during the Hawks’ exit interviews.
Does Kristaps Porzingis Pose a Threat to Onyeka Okongwu?
Getty Onyeka Okongwu of the Atlanta Hawks rebounds the ball during the first half against the Boston Celtics.
But Porzingis’ arrival could threaten Okongwu’s starting spot, especially when the former All-Star stretch center is healthy.
Okongwu might likely return to the bench unless the Hawks plan to play a two-big lineup.
Okongwu is entering the second year of a four-year, $62 million contract. The Lakers can easily match his salaries with one of their expiring salaries, plus their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick.
The Hawks could ask for more, but the Lakers have up to four picks swaps to sweeten a potential deal. However, there is no indication from the Hawks that they want to part ways with their young center.
If anything, the Porzingis trade meant Clint Capela, an unrestricted free agent, is not returning to Atlanta.
The Lakers could pivot to acquiring Capela for their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception as a fallback option.
Rob Pelinka Aggressively Searching For Starting Center
Lakers president Rob Pelinka vowed that there will be no stone unturned this offseason in their search for a starting center after they rescinded the Mark Williams trade at the deadline and JJ Redick lost faith in Jaxson Hayes in the playoffs.
Pelinka said they are “super active” in the trade market.
“We’re gonna turn over every stone and whatever resources the collective bargaining agreement gives us, we’re gonna use to the utmost,” Pelinka said. “That’s what we gotta do.
“We have a couple of players with player options, so we’ll get those decisions in just a handful of days, and at that point, we’ll know the tools that we have to go out into free agency and fill out the roster. But with the draft ending tonight, the work for that has already begun, but the draft focus will now shift to free agency, and we won’t rest until we get it right.”
Pelinka was referring to LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith. James has a $52.6 million player option while Finney-Smith has a $15.4 million player option. If they both opt in, the Lakers will only have the $5.7 million taxpayer midlevel exception.
If they opt out and sign for less money, the Lakers can have access to the $14.1 million non-taxpayer MLE.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Already Called About $62 Million Center: Report appeared first on Heavy Sports.