The Los Angeles Lakers head into the NBA offseason with their biggest need obvious: Center. The team’s lack of a rim protector was a major reason why they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Jaxson Hayes wasn’t up to the challenge of playing serious playoff minutes, so the Lakers are going to have to make a change. There will be no shortage of players they look into. If a trade proves difficult, there’s one free agent who makes a lot of sense.
Brook Lopez’s Milwaukee Bucks contract expires this offseason, which means he’ll be free to sign anywhere. He may be 37, but he’s played in 78 or more games in each of the last three seasons. He’ll probably be somewhat expensive, but he’d be a significant upgrade over Hayes.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Lakers are expected to show interest in him this offseason. This echoes a previous report from longtime NBA insider Gery Woelfel, who spoke to an NBA executive about Lopez possibly going to the Lakers.
“There’ll be plenty of interest in him. I’m sure the Lakers have already talked to him,” an NBA executive told Woelfel.
Marks also noted that the Golden State Warriors could be interested, so the Lakers will have some competition.
Homecoming for Lopez?
The Lakers are a franchise that Lopez is very familiar with. He’s from Los Angeles and played for the team during the 2017-18 season. However, that was during the post-Kobe Bryant years when the Lakers were struggling to win games.
The idea of coming back would have to be more appealing now that he’d be able to play with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Though he’s been able to stay healthy, Lopez is likely nearing retirement. It’s hard to imagine he’ll play into his 40s the same way James has.
Helping his hometown team compete for a championship should at least have Lopez somewhat interested.
Lakers Also Need to Think of Future
Lopez would be a huge upgrade over Hayes, but he’s also a short-term solution to a long-term problem. The Lakers will eventually need to find a young center to pair with Doncic.
Mark Williams would’ve been a perfect player for that, but the Lakers had to kill the deal after a concerning physical. Los Angeles may not have the trade assets to land a great option on the trade market.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus laid out some free agent options for the Lakers.
“That may leave older veterans like Brook Lopez (37) and Clint Capela (31) as among the best available options,” Pincus wrote. “However, neither is that bouncy, so they should be considered short-term placeholders without a better answer.
“The Lakers could instead chase younger bigs who might be able to fit the bill like Jericho Sims, Day’Ron Sharpe (potentially a restricted free agent) or some other off-the-radar candidate.”
The Lakers may be apprehensive to rely on a young big again the same way they did with Hayes. The best strategy may be to add a veteran like Lopez and a young center to back him up like Sims.
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