Sources: Lakers’ likeliest strategy to fixing center problem

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Sources: Lakers’ likeliest strategy to fixing center problem

Anthony Irwin · ClutchPoints

Tue, Jun 10, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post Sources: Lakers' likeliest strategy to fixing center problem appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers know they need at least one center. Such is agreed upon unanimously across the organization. That said, the path to filling that gaping hole in the roster is up for quite a bit more debate internally. According to sources close to the team, it's widely accepted they'll need to trade for their likely starting center . Where the front office is more split on is what to do with their taxpayer mid-level exception – their only means of paying a free agent more than the veteran's minimum.

For just a brief moment after the Luka Doncic trade, the Lakers looked like they might have just enough at center to get by. Jaxson Hayes was playing some of the best basketball of his career , LeBron James turned himself into a Draymond Green-type presence at center when they went small, and they appeared to have options if they so chose, with Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III waiting to be converted.

Then, reality struck. It turns out, Hayes is not an NBA-caliber starting center. JJ Redick didn't feel comfortable playing him any minutes in their final game of the season. James did play some center and fared ok. Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt also spent time at that position with mixed results, too.

Rob Pelinka opted not to convert Koloko or Jemison after signing Alex Len , who played a total of four minutes in that first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves . When asked why he stuck with Len rather than converting either two-way player – and to be clear, both Koloko and Jemison helped the Lakers a lot more than Len last year – Pelinka bristled, which some might take for acknowledgment that it was a poor decision.

In the end, the Lakers entered their first postseason of the Doncic era essentially center-less against one of the biggest frontcourts in the league and were dominated physically. They know they absolutely cannot do that again, especially as they try to convince Doncic to ink a long-term extension this summer.

Veteran minimum contracts range anywhere from $1.2-$3.6 million, depending on experience. It's simply unrealistic to even hope to land a starter at that rate. The Lakers watched that movie last year after trading away Anthony Davis and weren't fans.

The taxpayer mid-level exception will sit at $5.7 million next season. This is also well below a starting center's expected salary. Sure, maybe the Lakers could find a spot starter at that rate, but going into the offseason, banking on it would be a mistake.

This leaves the trade market as the only viable means to bring in the starter they need and, again, team sources indicate they're prepared to head down that path. Where the Lakers remain split internally is whether or not to double down on the center position using the only tool by which they can pay a free agent more than the minimum.

League sources anticipate yet another tough market for free agents this summer, but it's not so dry that Steven Adams will be available to the Lakers, let alone Myles Turner or Naz Reid . Clint Capela is considered within reach at $5.7 million and, as such, is expected to sit pretty high on the Lakers' target board.

The Lakers could also target Kevon Looney using their taxpayer mid-level exception, but if he was going to accept that contract, he'd likely get it from the Golden State Warriors , sources say. Al Horford had a really good season given his age, and the Boston Celtics are going to be looking to shed salary, so he could also be an option if the Lakers want to double the number of 40+ year-olds on the roster.

If it's Capela, Horford, Looney, or Adams, then league sources do believe the Lakers would utilize their taxpayer mid-level exception on a center even after trading for their starter. There are plenty within the organization pushing for this outcome, sources say. That said, there are others who point to Doncic, James, Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith , Maxi Kleber , and Jarred Vanderbilt as too much frontcourt spending.

So, one thing to look for, potentially – especially if the Lakers use their taxpayer mid-level exception on a big – is a trade where the Lakers send out a mid-tier expiring salary to bring in a more productive perimeter player. This would obviously come after the trade for their starting center, so as to know which salaries they'll need for that deal, but balancing the roster should be a priority this summer.

First things first, though, Pelinka will need to find a center who helps convince Doncic to stick around long-term. By all accounts, Doncic is seen as a loyal guy who was ready to spend his entire career in Dallas before they traded him, so most people around the league anticipate that he will stay in LA for a while, but this isn't the kind of situation the Lakers can leave to chance.

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