The Lakers are getting deeper into the NBA offseason here, with the draft less than a month away and NBA free agency looming shortly thereafter. There’s no doubt that the team is looking at as important an offseason as it has had in recent years, with LeBron James hitting the market as an unrestricted free agent, and Austin Reaves slated to do the same once he opts out of the final year of his contract.
The Lakers will have cap space heading into the process, and that could be used to either chase a top player on the market or to facilitate a blockbuster trade. It’s entirely possible, though, if the Lakers bring back James (still a huge question) and Reaves (almost certain to return) that the team will make more modest other additions, focusing on addressing clear holes in the roster.
And getting an athletic defensive center who can be a lob threat for star guard Luka Doncic is among the most important holes for this team to fill. One name to watch–for the Lakers as well as others–is Blazers center Robert Williams.
Lakers Badly Need a Defensive Big Man
Williams is a risky proposition because of his chronically troublesome knees, which limited him to just 26 games in 2023-24 and 2024-25. But Williams pulled together a productive year in 2025-2026, playing 59 games (second-most of his career) and averaging 6.7 points and 7.0 rebounds, with 1.5 blocked shots in 17.1 minutes.
He was very good in the Blazers’ six-game series against the Spurs, too, with 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in 21.6 minutes, playing top-shelf defense. His name has been buzzing among NBA execs as a free agent of interest ever since.
Williams’ four-year, $48 million contract he signed originally with the Celtics is up, and the Lakers are taking notice. They are among the teams believed to be interested in bidding on Williams, who could finally give the Lakers the defensive big they’ve been lacking.
Robert Williams ‘Won’t Have a Shortage of Offers’
One Eastern Conference exec said there will be a bit of pushing and shoving required for any team hoping to land Williams. The Lakers have cap space and are well-positioned to win a bidding war, as long as it remained reasonable. That means a contract that stays in the range of the midlevel exception, around $15 million per year, on a short term.
It’s possible the Lakers will seek bigger fish, but especially if James comes back, a player in Williams’ range makes sense.
Said the exec: “He won’t have a shortage of offers. In part because you know what he can do when he is healthy, he can protect the paint, he is such a good rebounder, he can step out and guard, he is still very athletic. You put all that together and of course you’re going to have teams interested. But you’ve got the injury history so that is probably going to hold his price tag down–he can’t go out and ask for more than the mid-level.
“But that means you’re going to have 15 teams or so who either have cap space or the mid-level, and it is a pretty high percentage there that would want a big guy who can defend like him even if it is for 20 or minutes a night. He will be popular out there.”
Lakers Could Land ‘Popular’ Defensive Free Agent