The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t able to get the center position fixed during the season. They tried to trade for Mark Williams during the trade deadline, but they failed his physical.
Because of that, they ended up having to use Jaxson Hayes as the starting center for most of the season once they traded Anthony Davis. Finding a center is their biggest priority this summer.
That doesn’t mean that they will be able to find a quality starting center so easily. There are some hurdles that they have to clear in order to do that.
Read more: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Will Appear on LeBron James’ Podcast
Perhaps the biggest issue facing the Lakers in their pursuit of a quality center is their lack of cap space. They don’t have enough room to get a decent starting center in free agency.
That means that the Lakers will likely have to either trade for a center straight up or have some sort of sign-and-trade set up in free agency. Those are tough to facilitate, especially for certain players.The big problem for the Lakers is that any useful starting center is going to want more money than what Los Angeles can pay them. Even centers like Brook Lopez and Clint Capela.
Los Angeles is only going to have about $5.7 million in the mini mid-level exception to sign a center. At that point, they aren’t going to get a center that is any better than Hayes.
There’s a good chance that the Lakers are going to have to use some draft capital in order to trade for a decent center. They aren’t going to get the top centers on the free agent market, such as Myles Turner.Tyrese Haliburton’s Dad Gets Hero’s Welcome
Lakers Could Have Massive Problem Landing Center
Landing a quality center might not be as easy as the Lakers think.
Ryan Stano | 21 Hours Ago
Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with center Jaxson Hayes (11), and guard Austin Reaves (15) after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with center Jaxson Hayes (11), and guard Austin Reaves (15) after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t able to get the center position fixed during the season. They tried to trade for Mark Williams during the trade deadline, but they failed his physical.
Because of that, they ended up having to use Jaxson Hayes as the starting center for most of the season once they traded Anthony Davis. Finding a center is their biggest priority this summer.
That doesn’t mean that they will be able to find a quality starting center so easily. There are some hurdles that they have to clear in order to do that.
Read more: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Will Appear on LeBron James’ Podcast
Perhaps the biggest issue facing the Lakers in their pursuit of a quality center is their lack of cap space. They don’t have enough room to get a decent starting center in free agency.
That means that the Lakers will likely have to either trade for a center straight up or have some sort of sign-and-trade set up in free agency. Those are tough to facilitate, especially for certain players.
The big problem for the Lakers is that any useful starting center is going to want more money than what Los Angeles can pay them. Even centers like Brook Lopez and Clint Capela.
Los Angeles is only going to have about $5.7 million in the mini mid-level exception to sign a center. At that point, they aren’t going to get a center that is any better than Hayes.
There’s a good chance that the Lakers are going to have to use some draft capital in order to trade for a decent center. They aren’t going to get the top centers on the free agent market, such as Myles Turner.
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The Lakers are going to have to figure out what they are going to do in terms of trading contracts. They have some mid-level contracts that are good trade pieces, but they will only part with them for the right center.
Los Angeles has a tight title window with LeBron James being as old as he is. The Laker sneed to invest heavily in the next couple of years to make sure that they can win one before he retires.
