The Lakers‘ lack of size was severely exposed in the first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves. The franchise is expected to address those issues with the acquisition of a true center in the 2025 offseason.
According to online sportsbook Bovada, Bucks big man Brook Lopez is the odds-on favorite to start the 2025-25 season as the Lakers’ new starting center.
It’s worth noting that Lopez, 37, would likely be available for a veteran minimum salary, making him the most feasible option for the Lakers. Rob Pelinka and Co. will have very little salary-cap space to work with in the 2025 offseason, unless LeBron James, who is owed $52.6M, opts out of his contract and renegotiates a more team-friendly deal.
Another key factor would involve Dorian Finney-Smith’s player option. The veteran wing is owed $15.3M but could opt out of his deal, giving the Lakers more flexibility.
Other Lakers Options at Center
Despite their salary-cap situation, the Lakers will have plenty of interesting options to upgrade at the center spot. Besides Lopez, the likes of Clint Capela, Myles Turner, Naz Reid, Steven Adams, Mortiz Wagner, Al Horford, Kevon Looney and Andre Drummond will become free agents in 2025. Furthermore, Doncis’ former Mavericks teammate, Dwight Powell, will also be available for potentially the veteran minimum.
A lot of the Lakers’ plans could boil down to James’ $52.6M player option. According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, James could opt out of his deal to help the Lakers add size.
“LeBron will likely opt out of his $50.6 million player option, but he is not expected to leave Los Angeles, league sources told ClutchPoints,” Siegel wrote on March 28. “This has been James’ strategy through the years, signing those unique “1+1” contracts which give him and the Lakers flexibility to adjust their cap numbers accordingly.”
“Last offseason, James made it clear to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office that he would be willing to take a slight pay cut if it meant them targeting impactful talents who could increase the team’s championship odds. He will very likely do the same this summer, allowing Los Angeles to add more talent around him and Luka Doncic.”
Will Brook Lopez Be A Good Fit?
Lopez was a key member of the Bucks’ 2021 championship-winning team. However, the 7-footer has seen his numbers dip drastically over the last few seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 13.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, but was only a +1.7 on the floor.
During the playoffs, he became an even bigger non-factor, averaging just 14.8 minutes through five games of the Bucks’ first-round loss to the Bucks. In those five games, Lopez averaged a career playoff low 5.0 points and 1.6 rebounds, and could not impact the game defensively. Even worse, he was a minus-5.2 on the floor.
Lopez, who previously played for the Lakers, could be an interesting option off the bench. However, the Lakers may be taking a huge risk by entrusting a 37-year-old to solve their issues with interior rebounding and defense. Furthermore, Lopez doesn’t fit the prototype lob-threat big that Doncic likes to play with.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers can explore other options, possibly even via trade. For now, they’ll try to stay alive against the Timberwolves in the playoffs.
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