The Los Angeles Lakers have been impressive in three wins coming out of the gate, and given the efficiency with which their offense has been producing–especially the formidable duo of Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic–there’s little reason to believe they can’t keep plowing forward through the early portion of the NBA schedule. Tuesday night’s game against the Blazers will be one of the few difficult tests these first few weeks of the schedule offers.
Even among the good vibes with the Lakers, there is some room for concern. So far, the Lakers have been able to effectively paper over the team’s uncertainty at power forward, but the backup center spot is a major concern, not only when it comes to finding bodies to soak up minutes when Walker Kessler goes to the bench, but also when it comes to the possibility of Kessler potentially getting hurt (or getting a rest day) and needing a replacement. There’s the decidedly immobile Kevon Looney and little else on the Lakers bench, and Looney just is not going to cut it.
Lakers Made Move for Pete Nance
That’s why it made some sense this week when veteran NBA insider Marc Stein noted in his Substack column that the Lakers made a play for veteran big man Pete Nance to take a two-way spot on the team. Nance is a three-year veteran, the son of former NBA star center Larry Nance and the brother of Larry Nance Jr. He’s bounced from the Cavaliers to the Sixers to the Bucks in his career, playing 68 games as a hybrid power forward/center.
Given the Lakers’ desperation for size, a hybrid would do. Alas, it did not work out.
Wrote Stein: “The 76ers and Lakers, league sources say, both registered two-way contract interest in Pete Nance after Milwaukee released the 26-year-old last weekend. But the Bucks, as The Stein Line reported last Sunday, believed they could get Nance to stay in Brewtown on a two-way with them and were proven correct. Nance is still a Buck.”
Two-Way Big Man Coming?
Certainly, the Lakers like their current batch of two-way roster players, with Chris Manon, Arthur Kaluma and AK Okereke on board. But, unable to secure a trade for a backup center ahead of the opening of the season, it would make sense for the Lakers to scour the two-way possibilities to add one who could potentially help out.
The Lakers can sign and cut any of their three two-way players without restriction. Players on two-ways are limited to 50 NBA call-up games before they must be added on a standard NBA contract.
Lakers ‘Registered Interest’ in Big Man Who Turned Them Down