The Los Angeles Lakers have been shopping around two of their players — a mainstay and newcomer — in their search to fill the void left behind by Anthony Davis, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
“League sources say the Lakers have been attempting to use the contracts of Gabe Vincent ($11 million this season, $11.5 million next) and Maxi Kleber ($11 million this season; $11 million next season) in this pursuit. One significant hurdle, however, is that Kleber (who came to the Lakers in the Dončić deal) can only be traded in a one-for-one deal rather than being aggregated. Conceivably, that takes options like Atlanta big man Clint Capela (who is on an expiring deal worth $22.2 million) off the board,” Amick wrote.
The Lakers engaged the Houston Rockets in a trade conversation for Steven Adams, who has an expiring $12.5 million salary, but “the two sides have been significantly apart, with no signs that a deal will actually get done,” according to Amick.
The other centers who were reported to be on their radar are Portland’s Robert Williams III ($12.5 million) and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton ($27.6 million), who, like Adams, earn more than Vincent and Kleber.
Cheaper Center Options
Centers who the Lakers can attain in the $11 million salary range and below include Orlando’s Mo Wagner and Goga Bitadze, Toronto’s Chris Boucher, Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas, Chicago’s Jalen Smith and Golden State’s Kevon Looney.
Valanciunas has been linked to the Lakers since the offseason. But the Wizards have pivoted off those trade talks as the Lakers couldn’t meet their asking price. They no longer have multiple second-round picks and the only second-round pick they have is currently projected to land at 53rd, per Tankathon.
The Lakers are thin on draft capital with only one first-round pick (2031), their 2025 second-round pick and three pick swaps available at their disposal.
Unless they offer their first-round pick, they are unlikely to land a starting-caliber center as it’s akin to withdrawing a big sum of money from their bank account with no deposit.
Center Search May Drag Into Offseason
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers vice president and general manager, hinted at waiting for the offseason to find their long-term center.
“We know we have a need for a big,” Pelinka told reporters during Luka Dončić’s introductory press conference. “The market for bigs right now, leading into the last two or three days of the trade deadline, is very dry. There’s just not a lot available. So maybe we’ll be able to do some stuff around the margins.
“I would say, in terms of a big move for that position, it’s probably more realistic that that would be something that comes in the offseason. But Luka will be at the center of that, as we build for the long term.”
Pelinka said they are looking for “versatility, mobility and a vertical lob threat” for their next center.
“I think that’s a key to the spacing that Luka likes to play with,” Pelinka told reporters.
He also added competitiveness as another trait they are looking for in their new center.
“I think you those are some of the core things there,” Pelinka continued. “Those players are hard to find but we’re going to, we’ll accomplish the task that’s before us. We’ll find a way.”
Small-Ball Lakers Dominated Clippers
In their first game in the post-Davis era, the Lakers had great success playing small ball in a dominant 122-97 rout of their crosstown rival Clippers.
Jaxson Hayes, who started at center, only played for 24 minutes and Trey Jemison III, who served as his backup, only saw action for five minutes. The Lakers played without a true center for 19 minutes.
Despite playing small ball for nearly half the game, the Lakers outrebounded the Clippers 50-36.
Dorian Finney-Smith (7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists) and Jarred Vanderbilt (6 points and 6 rebounds) gave the Lakers the option to play small ball.
LeBron James led the way with a near triple-double (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists) as Dončić, still recovering from a calf injury, sat next to him on the bench.
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