The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world with their midseason acquisition of Luka Dončić. The move, however, left them with a gaping hole at center as they sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks.
While they appeared to acquire Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, a failed physical led to the deal being rescinded. Their need for a center was exposed in their first-round postseason matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves as they were bounced in five games.
Los Angeles largely rolled out small-ball lineups throughout the series. Starting center Jaxson Hayes played just 31 total minutes, while backup Alex Len played four minutes -- all of which came in garbage time.
It is clear that they will be in the market for a big man this summer. An NBA writer recently predicted that the Lakers will acquire a lob threat to play alongside Dončić and LeBron James.
"Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, a 2028 first-round pick swap and a 2031 first-round pick for Nicolas Claxton," Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey wrote. "The Lakers adding a starting-caliber center might be the single most obvious move on the board for this summer. And because L.A. didn't have to pay anywhere near Luka's full value to acquire him, they have plenty of trade fodder to land a big man."
"This one sends the Nets salary-matching contracts, including one (Rui Hachimura's) that could be flipped to a contender for more assets, a first-round pick swap and a first-round pick. That's solid value for a 26-year-old center who's struggled to produce at the same level he did when he was surrounded by stars."
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"With the Lakers, Claxton could get back to the volume of rim-running and rim-protecting he did in 2022-23, when he averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, shot a league-leading 70.5 percent from the field and finished top-10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting."
The Nets center would fill many of the Lakers' needs with his ability to serve as a lob threat for Dončić while providing rim protection. It is unclear, however, if the Lakers would be willing to part ways with Hachimura as he was one of the few bright spots in their short postseason run.
Claxton is coming off of a season where he appeared in 70 games, making 62 starts. He averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.4 blocks in 26.9 minutes per game while shooting 56.3% from the field.
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