Despite high expectations, the Los Angeles Lakers were bumped out of the playoffs in easy fashion by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.
There have been plenty of fingers pointed over this first-round postseason collapse. However, there is one thing everyone can agree on: the Lakers need a center.
Trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic was a bold move and it was understandable why Los Angeles couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately, it left a massive hole in the roster that couldn’t be filled.
I think when you make a huge trade at the deadline where you trade your starting center for a point guard, of course that’s going to create significant issues with the roster, and we saw some of those play out,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
We know this offseason, one of our primary goals is going to be to add size in our frontcourt at the center position.”
Greg Swartz of BleacherReport has a solid solution: the Lakers could acquire Mitchell Robinson from the New York Knicks in exchange for forward Jarred Vanderbilt and future draft picks.
With the Knicks acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns, Robinson has essentially guaranteed that Robinson would remain on the bench. While he never started many games before, he still saw a massive drop in usage
While he’s not the greatest offensive weapon, Robinson is an excellent defender and decent rebounder, which is exactly what Los Angeles needs.
“Robinson, 27, is a true 7-footer who knows his role and plays it well,” Swartz said. “He does a good job of cleaning the offensive glass and has blocked 2.7 shots per 36 minutes in his seven-year career.”
Robinson would be the perfect fit on the Lakers’ roster, maintaining a solid defensive presence under the rim while LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves continue to run the offense.
