The Los Angeles Lakers have been active in trade rumors but haven’t done anything in the market over the last year-and-a-half outside their recent acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith. The team still needs to do a lot more maneuvering to even have a prayer as a roster that can contend for a title, something center Anthony Davis is aware of.
In a recent interview with Shams Charania of ESPN, Davis revealed that he wants the Lakers to add a center to the roster while also openly stating the team is still a couple of pieces away from being credible contenders.
“I think we need another big. I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the 4 and having a big out there, we know it worked when we won a championship with JaVale (McGee) and Dwight (Howard).”
“I think our 19-20 team was the perfect construction of a team. We had shooters, we had dogs defensively, we had scorers, everybody knew their role. We are (a couple of pieces away). I feel like we really are.”
Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.2 blocks this season. He’s been the Lakers starting center for the last four seasons, with the last time he played full-time power forward coming in the 2020-21 season alongside Marc Gasol.
This isn’t the first time Davis has spoken about moving back to power forward in the last year either, as he’s made this request publicly in the past as well. It seems his pleas fall on deaf ears as the Lakers have made no attempt at acquiring a center even in free agency since signing Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood last summer.
Centers The Lakers Should Target
Even when JJ Redick took over as the team’s new head coach in the summer, one of his first quotes was about how the team wanted to acquire a center. Despite trying to pursue signings like Jonas Valancuinas, the Lakers haven’t had any luck convincing anyone to sign with them or a team to make a trade with them.
The team has reportedly moved on from Jonas over the winter, and are linked to names like Walker Kessler, Robert Williams III, and Nikola Vucevic as potential centers for Davis to play alongside.
Kessler might be outside the Lakers price bracket as a standout 23-year-old who is averaging 11.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks this season.
Vucevic would be a great offensive complement to Davis, averaging 20.3 points and 10.4 rebounds this season while shooting 41.1% from three. He might be the best player they can acquire for a double-big lineup with Davis.
Williams III isn’t a difference-making addition, but he would be a decent big-man option for Davis to alternate at center with while spending some minutes together to form a twin-tower lineup. He’s averaging 6.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks this season.
There are plenty of other big men the Lakers could display an interest in, but the stinginess of the Lakers front office might mean another deadline will come and go without Davis getting the only thing he’s publicly asked for from Rob Pelinka and his team.
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