The Los Angeles Lakers' season came to a shocking end on Wednesday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated them in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers were forced to go small for much of the series, as Jaxson Hayes struggled to give the team much production at the center position.
To address the Lakers' big-man issues, The Sporting News' Stephen Noh predicts that Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez will head to Los Angeles this offseason.
"Lopez is 37 years old and not the guy he was a few seasons ago," Noh wrote. "He started 80 games for a good Bucks teams but faced issues in the playoffs with his lack of footspeed.
"That prices him in as another low-end starter for the Lakers. Lopez is still a great rim protector and stretch shooter who hit 37 percent of his 3's last year. He's only three years removed from finishing runner-up in DPOY voting. He and LeBron could form a tremendous backline defense," Noh concluded.
Lopez has had a successful run with the Bucks, helping them win a championship in 2021 while providing elite three-point shooting and rim protection.
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Lopez, who played for the Lakers during the 2017-18 season, could help stretch the floor for Luka Doncic and LeBron James while also being a nice option for both of them to dump the ball down low to.
The Lakers will need a lot more than Lopez to help them get over the hump next season, but he can at least help them address some of their big-man issues.
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