Arguably the biggest weakness on the Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 2024-25 season is the center position.

Sure, they still have Anthony Davis, but the last two playoff losses to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets proved that wasn’t enough in some matchups.

The Lakers made no moves this offseason to fill the center position as Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood picked up their player options. They signed Christian Koloko to a two-way contract, but he still hasn’t been cleared by the league to play after dealing with a serious blood clot issue.

Wood is also dealing with a knee injury that will force him to miss the start of the season, leaving the Lakers short on frontcourt depth behind Davis and Hayes.

That being said, the Lakers have turned to the trade market to upgrade their centers and continue to do so through opening night, according to Shams Charania of ESPN:

“Sources tell me the Lakers are considering potentially adding a big man, a center, to their roster. I don’t know exactly when that will be, but they have started looking at the market. Christian Wood remains out with a knee problem. He recently had surgery so they are waiting for him to return. But Jaxson Hayes, meanwhile, has really stepped up in training camp. He was a positive factor for the Lakers. But another thing to watch is Christian Koloko, they signed him to a two-way contract before training camp, he was expected to play a potential reserve role on this roster and our Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin and I heard in internally the Lakers. Doctors are confident he will be cleared by the league’s fitness to play committee due to his blood clot issue, but that is still an ongoing process. The Lakers are still waiting for answers from the league, from (the Players Association) on his clearance, that’s going to be a major factor to watch because this was a Koloko guy that was going to play a potential role down the stretch. of this Lakers season.

The name the Lakers are most linked to is Jonas Valanciunas, who they had interest in signing in free agency before landing with the Washington Wizards.

Although the Wizards are willing to trade him, they can’t do so until December 15th, so the Lakers would have to wait a few months.

If they wanted to make a deal now or before the season starts, some names to watch could be Walker Kessler, Nikola Vucevic, Isaiah Jackson, Nick Richards and Day’Ron Sharpe. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, however, would likely have to include draft capital in any package for a solid big man, something he has been unwilling to do so far.

JJ Redick likes Anthony Davis as Lakers power forward

Part of the reason the Lakers are looking for another center is that Anthony Davis likes to play power forward. Head coach JJ Redick also recently said he likes Davis at the forward position and explained why.

“It’s definitely something we could use in our rotation,” Redick said. “What I really like is having AD at the four and being able to be part of that changeup group while still having some size at the five with Jaxson. I like this part a lot.

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