One of the first things Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about after taking on the role last summer was that the Lakers wanted to acquire a center. Despite making a run at Jonas Valanciunas in the summer, the team failed to acquire the Lithuanian center. They haven’t addressed that hole at center at all, with the toll showing on Anthony Davis, who is going through a mid-season slump.
Davis has wanted to play more power forward for the Lakers but there’s been no way to facilitate that request, especially with the team’s current big-man rotation. As they aren’t interested in Valanciunas anymore, the team needs to pivot to other center targets and make it their priority. They’re unwilling to part with first-round picks, so a couple of seconds could land them a veteran center from the Houston Rockets.
Trade Details
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Steven Adams ($12.6 million)
Houston Rockets Receive: Gabe Vincent ($11.0 million), Cam Reddish ($2.4 million), 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAC)
This deal brings the perfect interior force for the Lakers, as Steven Adams is capable of doing all the grunt work that a center is expected to do. This allows Anthony Davis to be more effective in the role of a help defender and increases his responsibility to be a competent shooter on offense. These are skills he has wanted to showcase, and Adams’ arrival will at least give him some more opportunities to do so.
Lakers Get A Much-Needed Reinforcement
It’s quite appalling that the Lakers have made absolutely no moves to address their big-man rotation in almost two years. They’re lucky that Anthony Davis has played some of the healthiest basketball of his career in the last two seasons, but their roster completely disintegrates without Davis’ big-man play. He’s all lines of defense and is so overburdened with the position that it’s setting him up for bad nights.
Steven Adams would address that majorly. He’s averaging 2.8 points and 4.7 rebounds on low minutes for the Rockets as the backup center behind Alperen Sengun. Adams’ toughness is a virtue almost everyone in the NBA knows about, and the center is an intimidating inside presence even in his older years.
Adams can’t be a full-time center for the Lakers, his presence at least unburdens Davis from needing to play 38-40 minutes as the center. It makes them more solid as a rebounding and defensive team, a struggle they haven’t been able to get over with their current roster all season. With this addition, they look better equipped to stay in the top-six race in the West.
The Rockets Maximize A Return From An Outgoing Asset
Steven Adams has proven to be a valuable veteran to have in the locker room for the Rockets. The center has been on competitive teams for his entire career and his toughness has rubbed off on his teammates as well. He’s a great person to have in your corner, but the Rockets can’t justify holding onto him when he’s on an expiring contract and plays about 10 minutes a game when a team shows real interest.
Gabe Vincent being the returning asset isn’t ideal, as Vincent is averaging 4.7 points and 1.3 rebounds this season. However, he might be far more usable within Ime Udoka’s system as a bench guard due to his strong defensive instincts, ability to make plays in spots, and hit shots when he’s not ice-cold. I wouldn’t rely on his shooting but I would rely on his defense and veteran sensibilities.
Cam Reddish is averaging 3.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals as a defense-first wing for the Lakers. He wouldn’t get minutes on the Rockets behind the already-talented wings they’re having to bench, so Reddish likely gets released after this deal. It gives the Rockets some strong second-round assets for a player they were bound to lose anyway.
Center-Play Is Crucial In The West
The Lakers need to understand that they will get nowhere in the West if they don’t have centers. That’s the lesson the OKC Thunder learned last season before signing Isaiah Hartenstein in the summer, and now the team has gone 22-2 with Hartenstein in the lineup. While Adams isn’t on the same level, he’s a talented big who can add another dimension to the Lakers lineups.
It allows the Lakers to run bigger lineups which maximizes skill with LeBron James running the point guard and Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Davis, and Adams filling out the roster. It creates a lot more versatility than any of the lineup JJ Redick can rely on right now due to the ineffective Jaxson Hayes being the only other big on the roster.
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