The Los Angeles Lakers lost in the first round with the superstar duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Now, with James' NBA career running out of time, the LA front office has some added pressure to make another title run.
The biggest need is a center, which the Lakers tried to fix at the trade deadline. They initially acquired Mark Williams in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets before the deal was rescinded due to medical reasons.
So, the Lakers' need for a center is the worst-kept secret in the league.
There are quite a few targets that make sense, and one of them is Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, as Hardwood Paroxysm wrote in his latest newsletter.
“Multiple Lakers outlets have reported on ‘theoretical’ trades involving Nets center Nic Claxton, and that’s not a coincidence. Claxton provides an athletic veteran floor runner who can switch to put next to Luka, the Nets and Lakers have done deals before, multiple times, and Claxton is likely ready to be on a contending team.”
Claxton being linked to LA isn't exactly new, and the Nets and Lakers have been trade partners in the past quite a bit, including multiple trades involving D'Angelo Russell.
Claxton averaged 10.3 points with 7.4 rebounds this past season for Brooklyn, and the 2019 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Nets, so a change of scenery could be in store. Plus, the Lakers adding a 26-year-old center would be a nice pairing to a James-Doncic duo.
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