The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be heavily invested in the market for a starting center this offseason. After trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, general manager Rob Pelinka was left without a starting center ahead of the trade deadline, and spoke about that with his new superstar. That led him on a search that eventually ended with trading for, then sending back, Mark Williams of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Lakers instead opted to play out the rest of the 2024-25 season without a starting caliber center and re-evaluate the market in the offseason. But Williams may not have been the only center the Lakers made calls about in the days between acquiring Doncic and the deadline.
One name that Pelinka reportedly made calls about was Atlanta Hawks young big man Onyeka Okongwu. The 24-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $62 million contract, and while he is slightly undersized at the position, brings athleticism and strong defensive instincts. Dave McMenamin of ESPN spoke about L.A.’s pursuit of Okongwu on “Straight Fire” with Jason McIntyre when asked if he has heard any buzz surrounding the Lakers’ interest:
Okongwu would have been a strong fit for the Lakers, both due to his skillset and his age, as he would fit perfectly in line with Doncic’s timeline and is on a very reasonable multi-year contract. Of course, the Hawks know all of this as well, and that is likely why talks never materialized to something more serious.
Okongwu also fits perfectly with what the Hawks are trying to build, a team of athletic defenders around Trae Young. Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels and Okongwu all fit this mold, and moving on from their young center wouldn’t make much sense.
The Lakers are a franchise known for their superstars. But for as beloved and remembered as Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others stars are, those championships don’t come without the contributions from the likes of Michael Cooper, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Alex Caruso and many other role players.
In the NBA, star players get most of the attention and credit, but role players are often the difference between playoff success and an early exit. LeBron James is well aware of this as he has benefitted from the likes of Caruso, Ray Allen and JR Smith, amongst others.
That has been the case in these playoffs as well with role players like Caruso, Josh Hart, Jaden McDaniels and Aaron Nesmith making a huge difference. And James spoke on that in the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash.
