Lakers still ‘hunting for reinforcements’ at center

After years of searching for better frontcourt play, the Lakers made big changes this offseason.

Gone are Deandre Ayton, Maxi Kleber and Jaxson Hayes. In their replacement, the Lakers took a big swing by trading for Walker Kessler and signing Kevon Looney.

Kessler is the premier acquisition. He is joining the team with the expectation that he’ll be the big of the future.

While satisfying the starting center spot is great, the team could use more depth.

In a recent article by Dan Woike in The Athletic, he detailed how the team currently desires to bolster the frontcourt.

Between Looney’s 21 games and the five Kessler played last season, the Lakers are, according to team and league sources, hunting for reinforcement at the center position. But that search won’t be easy. The center market is largely a mess. In addition, the Lakers already have 16 guaranteed contracts and no open roster spots.

Kessler said he’s good to go health-wise, so hopefully his injuries are a thing of the past.

Still, it’d be ideal to have a backup you can rely on in case he misses a game here and there. Looney doesn’t seem ready for that kind of role. He is an older, more limited player. Last season he played just 21 games.

Looney is a solid rebounder and screener, but his offensive production was never great, and it’s declining. With the Pelicans last year, he scored just 2.8 points per game and shot 41.7% from the field.

If the season started now, he’d likely be taking over Hayes’ minutes. It’s hard to imagine Looney can produce at the same level that Hayes did.

Looney playing the Kleber role, as a third-string big who knows how to be a professional, would be a better situation for him.

If the Lakers opt to sign a center from the unrestricted free agent market, Nick Richards and Drew Eubanks remain available.

Richards averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. However, he was traded to the Bulls midseason and performed well there, averaging 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in a larger role.

Eubanks played with the Kings last season and averaged 5.2 points while shooting 59.6% from the field.

Whether via a trade or by signing a player, the goal seems to be for LA to snag another backup center option. And it’s why they continue to look for that reinforcement even with all of their roster spots currently being accounted for.

Given how important the frontcourt is for the Lakers, they should be able to figure out how to improve the depth at that position before the start of the year. The only unknown currently is who it will be.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

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