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The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to make a trade to address their shallow depth at the center position, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on October 10.
“Sources tell me the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center, to their roster,” Charania said on his “NBA Today” debut. “Not sure exactly when that will take place, but they have started looking into the marketplace.”
The Lakers only have Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes as their healthy big men in their rotation with Christian Wood still recovering from a knee issue.
Hayes, according to Charania, “has really stepped up in the training camp,” which is a welcome development for the Lakers. The 7-foot center is averaging 7.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists in the Lakers’ first two preseason games.
Christian Koloko Not Yet Cleared
The Lakers have also signed Christian Koloko to a two-way contract, however, the 24-year-old center has yet to get his medical clearance from the NBA.
“He was expected to play a potential reserve role on this roster and our Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin and I have heard internally the Lakers doctors have felt confident that he will be cleared by the league’s fitness to play panel due to his blood clot issue, but that is still an ongoing process,” Charania added. “The Lakers are still waiting for answers from the league, from the [Players Association] on his clearance.”
Koloko missed the entire last season after he was discovered to have career-threatening blood clot issue. The NBA barred him from playing and even practicing with his team.
The NBA’s Fitness-to-Play Panel consists of “one physician appointed by the NBA, one physician appointed by the Players Association and one physician appointed by agreement of the first two physicians,” per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, determine whether players with potentially life-threatening injuries, illnesses or other medical conditions are medically able and fit to practice and play basketball in the NBA.
Koloko’s doctors has cleared him to resume playing, Sportsnet Canada reported in July, which pushed him to begin training for his NBA comeback.
The comebacking center was also pursued by the his former team, Toronto Raptors, along with the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs, before deciding to join the Lakers, Charania reported in September.
Jonas Valanciunas is on Lakers’ Radar
Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas is a name to watch as a trade target for the Los Angeles Lakers, McMenamin reported on September 12.
However, the Lithuanian big man cannot be traded until December 15.
Valanciunas, who averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Pelicans last seaso, fits the mold of the bruising center Redick wanted to pair with Anthony Davis in the Lakers frontcourt.
Redick made this explicitly clear in an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio during the NBA Summer League in July.
“You look at the Western Conference right now, whether it’s Denver, Minnesota, OKC with what they added, certainly Memphis, they’re going to be back in the hunt, they added Zach Edey,” Redick said. “Certain matchups in the playoffs, you’re going to need a lot of size.”
Valanciunas was on LeBron James‘ shortlist of players he was willing to take pay cut for during the NBA free agency. But the center did not wait for the Lakers and opted to sign with the Wizards via sign-and-trade for three years, $30 million.
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