So far this season, it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers made the right decision trading for Walker Kessler despite giving up first-round picks in the deal and signing him to a four-year, $130 million contract. However, outside of him, the Lakers are extremely thin in the frontcourt, and two and a half weeks into the season, the buzz about the team going after a backup center in the trade market has only grown.
The Lakers also have Kevon Looney on the roster, but so far, he hasn’t been an answer to the non-Kessler minutes. With that, Los Angeles is expected to make calls around the league to find someone else to play that role.
While several names have been mentioned as potential Lakers trade targets, it’s hard to tell who is truly available. Everything depends on what the front office is willing to give up if it means upgrading the roster, but even if Rob Pelinka doesn’t want to take a big risk, there are three players in particular who could arrive for a low price to bolster the team’s frontcourt depth.
Three Players Mentioned As Lakers Trade Targets For Backup Center Role
Writing for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley offered up three names who would be realistic Lakers trade targets to fill Looney’s role as a backup center when Kessler is on the bench.
The first is Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic, who has a previous beef history with Luka Doncic, but has previously been named as someone the Lakers could go after.
“He makes a lot of traditional big-man things happen whenever he hits the hardwood. For his career, his per-36-minutes averages include 13.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks. He’s also a career 56 percent shooter from the field, and he finished better than 60 percent of his field goals each of the last three seasons,” Buckley wrote. “Whatever the Lakers thought Looney could provide, Bitadze actually brings it.”
Team reporter for The Athletic, Dan Woike, mentioned Bitadze as a realistic Lakers trade target, but his history with Doncic might be a roadblock in a move.
Karlo Matkovic of the New Orleans Pelicans is another player Los Angeles could go after in a deal. He is making just under $2.3 million this year and is quietly putting up 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds on 64.9/55/60 shooting splits in just 18.6 minutes per game.
“He could open up pick-and-pop possibilities for the Lakers’ guards or just keep the floor better spaced for their attacks. He also has enough bounce to work in some rim-running responsibilities, too, as he has averaged 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes for his career, per Basketball-Reference.com,” the B/R writer added.
Finally, Buckley mentioned Jericho Sims as the final Lakers trade target in his article. Los Angeles was linked to the Milwaukee Bucks player before the season, but weren’t ready to package Dalton Knecht and two second-round picks for his services. He’s also extremely efficient and has a skill set the Lakers could use, so if the Bucks are willing to continue trade talks, he could be another realistic name playing in the Purple and Gold sometime soon.
“He clearly isn’t part of the Bucks’ plans, but he could part of the Lakers’, since he has the right blend of length, bounce and finishing to thrive as an above-the-rim energizer,” he wrote. “Sims has never quite provided enough paint protection to be a true rim-runner, but he is automatic as a lob-finisher (career 74.2 field-goal percentage). Dončić makes more out of that archetype than anyone, so the Lakers could give Sims a second round of consideration.”
Los Angeles Needs A New Backup Center
Speaking about the Lakers’ frontcourt issues, team reporter Jovan Buha made it clear that Looney has not been the answer nine games into the season.
“I think it’s clear they need a better functional backup center. It is not Kevon Looney. He has been pulled from the rotation. Does not seem like he’s going to play at all moving forward barring an injury,” Buha said on his podcast. “So with that roster spot, like, not being taken up by a rotation player, they need another center-sized player to help, I think, build out the bench groups, put Mamu more at the four, allow for Mamu and Kessler to play together.”
Sandro Mamukelashvili was brought in to play some stretch-five minutes, but the Lakers need a traditional center to protect the rim and win the rebounding battle on a nightly basis.
So far, that hasn’t been Looney. He has appeared in just five games so far this season, and is averaging only 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 5.8 minutes.
Buha also mentioned Looney as someone who is at the end of the team’s rotation, and potentially someone who could get waived, if he isn’t traded, for the Lakers to land a backup center upgrade.
“I think the back three guys on the roster, which are [Kevon] Looney, Bronny [James], and Hardy, any of those three, in my opinion, are worth potentially waiving,” he said earlier in the season. “I would not be surprised if they potentially make some sort of move with either a two-way or roster spot to try to add someone because it’s clear that this is a massive hole [on] the roster…I think they probably have to address it via trade ultimately.”
“Looney is just below the baseline level of competence of playable NBA athleticism,” Buha added.
Whether or not the Lakers could realistically land one of the previously mentioned trade targets, it’s clear the team needs to address the backup center position. A trade could come at some point before the February 11 deadline, but if it continues to be an issue, expect a move to be made sooner rather than later.
Lakers Trade Rumors: 3 High-Value Centers Emerge As Top Targets