Lakers will look to add another big man at some point during the season

Anthony Davis will likely be the starting center for the Lakers at some point during the regular season, if not on Opening Night, but they really do not have much frontcourt depth. Trevor Ariza and Carmelo Anthony are not “small-ball” big men and while Dwight Howard will definitely be utilized off-the-bench, Marc Gasol could be a guy on his way out. 

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on August 20 that Gasol is not a lock to return to the Lakers this upcoming season, even after Gasol said following Spain’s quarterfinal loss to the United States in the Olympics that he intends to play out the final year of the two-year deal he signed with Los Angeles.

If Gasol does not return, this leaves the Lakers with just Davis and Howard, which is why they will either use one of their last roster spots to add another big man via free agency or they could potentially look to add another center at some point during the season and maybe near the NBA trade deadline. 

Paul Millsap, DeMarcus Cousins and Mike Scott are all experienced frontcourt options that they could look to add via free agency, with Millsap being a viable midseason addition on a minimum contract, but they could also pursue cheap center options on the trade market. Who knows, maybe a guy like DeAndre Jordan (Nets) or Tristan Thompson (Kings) gets bought out midseason or even LaMarcus Aldridge comes out of retirement and decides to join the Lakers. 

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At some point, it is safe to assume the Lakers are going to add some more frontcourt depth in attempts to make another run to the NBA Finals. Big man depth helped them win a title in 2020 and it proved to be their downfall last season, so addressing this issue is a must for Los Angeles to be a championship contender once again.