As the Los Angeles Lakers scour the league for athletic big men to pair with Luka Doncic, one name that has cropped up a lot recently is Robert Williams III, who is fresh off a resurgent season with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained why Williams was the ideal center for the Lakers, citing his athleticism, rim protection and budget-friendly contract value.
“That would be the guy,” Marks said of the Lakers pairing Doncic with Williams.
“He’s probably one of the top unrestricted free agent centers out there. I think he gives you that shot blocker, that rim protector, that guy that can lob threat for Luka Doncic.”
Lakers Target: Robert Williams III
Williams, an unrestricted free agent, isn’t expected to command more than $12-$15M per year due to his injury history — he missed 161 out of a possible 246 games over the last three years. This past season, though, he was relatively healthy and played in 59 games for the Trail Blazers.
“Now the question is, the cost? What’s the cost? Is it $12, $13 million? I think that’s kind of where his range is, but there’ll be other teams that also see that,” Marks said.
The ESPN analyst added that Williams’ market value had soared after he did a terrific job against Victor Wembanyama in the first round of the playoffs.
“The one name that picked up the most buzz, a lot of teams in Chicago last week, was Robert Williams,” Marks said.
“That’s the name. You have to be cautious with that because of his games availability, the minutes. That’s the one guy, I don’t want to say neutralized Victor Wembanyama, but I think guarded him probably one of the best certainly in the playoffs in the first round.”
Potential Lakers Trade
While the Lakers will have the cap space to sign Williams outright (to the reported $12-13M range), they could explore a sign-and-trade scenario with the Blazers by offering draft compensation. Some have suggested a radical idea that would see the Lakers land Jerami Grant (whose contract the Blazers have reportedly been trying to dump) and Williams while parting with Jared Vanderbilt and their 2026 first-round pick.
Another such deal would see the Lakers part with a future second-rounder.
Lakers would get: Robert Williams III (sign-and-trade)
Trail Blazers would get: Jared Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, 2032 second-round pick
Such a deal would give the Lakers more flexibility and help them preserve the near-$50 cap space they can reportedly open — even after re-signing free agent Austin Reaves.
Besides seeking outside help, the Lakers have a lot of decisions to make about their own impending free agents, including LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxon Hayes. Furthermore, both Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart have Player Options on their expiring contracts.
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