The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the more shocking trades in NBA history when they traded future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal that netted them superstar guard Luka Dončić. Pairing Dončić with LeBron James was clearly an exciting move, and the Lakers jumped at the chance to make it happen.
During the regular season, it seemed to work out well. The Lakers finished with a 50-32 record, earning the Western Conference’s third seed. However, things did not go well in the postseason as Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves made quick work of the Lakers in the First Round, eliminating them in five games.
Clearly, if the Lakers want to compete for a title, they need to upgrade the roster. With their new ownership, they are definitely prepared to do so. Before the Buss family sold the majority stake in the team to Mark Walter, they tried to improve the roster last season.
Los Angeles Lakers Tried to Make an Upgrade at Center Last Season
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers tried to strike a deal with the Atlanta Hawks for center Onyeka Okongwu.
“The Lakers called the Atlanta Hawks about their 6-10, athletic big man Onyeka Okongwu last season, sources told ESPN,” writes McMenamin.
The Lakers reached out to the Atlanta Hawks last season to inquire about a trade for Onyeka Okongwu, per @mcten
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Okongwu, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, would have been a solid acquisition. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder averaged 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field. In his last game, a 123-114 overtime loss to the Miami Heat in the second Play-In game that kept the Hawks out of the postseason, he put up 28 points and grabbed 12 boards.
With the Hawks already striking a deal with the Boston Celtics to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, they may be more open to dealing Okongwu.
That wasn’t the only center the Lakers went after.
“But rumors swirled this week, linking L.A. to trade talks with the Utah Jazz for center Walker Kessler and the Miami Heat for wing Andrew Wiggins, and representatives for both Reaves and Vincent were not contacted about any of the teams involved, sources told ESPN, which is customary when a trade nears the finish line,” explained McMenamin.
“Other centers under contract that the Lakers have mulled internally since last season include Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Portland’s Robert Williams III, sources told ESPN,” says McMenamin. “Among the other free agent big men L.A. could target are veterans Clint Capela, Al Horford and Brook Lopez.”
The Lakers reportedly had a deal in place for Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams but backed out. Williams was dealt to the Phoenix Suns on draft night.
It will be interesting to see what the Lakers do this offseason, and they are already off to a surprisingly nice start. With Dončić on the roster and James’ time in the league winding down, they’ll have plenty of interest, but not a lot of assets to get deals done.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped the Lakers from being creative in the past.
