The massive Luka Doncic trade on Feb. 1 created a massive hole at the center position for the Los Angeles Lakers, as it sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers were already thin at that spot outside of Davis, and after the deal was made, they badly needed help there.
They agreed to send rookie Dalton Knecht, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round draft pick and a future first-round pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, a promising young center. But that trade was rescinded a few days later when Williams failed his physical.
On Feb. 11, the Lakers signed veteran big man Alex Len from the buyout market in an attempt to plug their hole at the center position. Not a whole lot was expected from him, but they ended up getting even less from him.
In 10 games with the Lakers, Len averaged 2.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 blocks in 12.2 minutes a game. Overall, he had averages of 1.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks in 8.3 minutes a game for the season.
When the Lakers signed Len, there was some hope that he could at least be an innings-eater and be somewhat serviceable for about 15 minutes or so a game. In the past, the 31-year-old had been the type of player who could provide solid rebounding and defense for roughly 20 minutes a game while finishing strong near the rim. But his abilities had significantly diminished over the last few years.
In his first game with Los Angeles, he played 22 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds while adding four points, two assists and one block. But from that point on, his playing time was sporadic, and there were many games during which he never got off the bench.
Defensively, he just didn’t cut it, and he wasn’t the type of rim-runner or lob threat L.A. needed offensively.
In the team’s five-game loss in the NBA playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Len appeared in two games for a grand total of three minutes and 40 seconds. During that time, he grabbed four rebounds but made no other statistical contributions
Since Len was only signed for the remainder of the season, he will become a free agent this summer. It is hard to imagine the Lakers bringing him back, especially given how rapidly he fell out of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation. In fact, it could be argued he was never in that rotation to begin with.
The beginning of any NBA team’s offseason usually brings a flurry of rumors and fake trade proposals, and that’s especially true with the Celtics, who fell to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and need to shed more than $20 million in salary just to avoid severely restrictive penalties associated with being in the second apron of the luxury tax.
That financial situation means the Celtics may have to consider trading at least one core rotation player. And in recent days, Derrick White’s name has been thrown into the NBA rumor mill, with the Golden State Warriors floated as a potential suitor.
“Another guy for the Warriors to look at going forward is Derrick White,” The Ringer’s Logan Murdoch told longtime NBA reporter Zach Lowe on The Zach Lowe Show. “I think that’s something the Warriors are looking at right now.
“That’s somebody who can play defense, can settle everyone down especially when you have a young group like that.”
White arguably is the Celtics’ third-most important player behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and projects as Boston’s No. 2 next season if Tatum’s Achilles injury keeps him out most or all of the 2025-26 campaign. But Lowe admitted the Celtics may have to at least consider moving White and his $28.1 million salary for next season in order to shed salary.
“I’ve talked about how depressing trading Derrick White would be for Boston, and the sort of a dilemma they face in terms of, ‘How much of a reset do we really want to have and who we want to be back here when Tatum comes back?’” Lowe said. “Who has trade value in the interim and where (does) Derrick White fit in that conversation?”
The Celtics have a few other avenues they can consider before exploring a White trade, such as shopping Jrue Holiday and/or Kristaps Porzingis. NBA insider Marc Stein reports the C’s are “more apt” to make Holiday available via trade than White, and that Porzingis is considered Boston’s “most movable vet” because he’s on an expiring contract.
But if the Celtics get to the point entertaining White trade offers, are the Warriors even a realistic partner?
