Lakers Planning Aggressive Pursuit of Center During Free Agency

The Los Angeles Lakers are still in pursuit of a center. Since trading Anthony Davis, they have been searching for a center that can help protect the rim and play decent offense.

Jaxson Hayes was the person who had to step into that role as the starting center, and he just wasn't good enough for them to truly compete in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, their options at the center spot are dwindling. A lot of other centers have already moved to other places or re-signed with the current franchises.

Despite that fact, the Lakers are still trying to figure out what their options are moving forward. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, they are evaluating their options.

Shams: "The Lakers will be shoring up meetings from my understanding with other available free agent centers tonight and to the next couple of days" pic.twitter.com/9LFvLZxzW3
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) June 30, 2025

"This is a pretty big-time center class we're seeing, so I would expect the Lakers to look at all of those players."

The Lakers missed out on a major opportunity when Myles Turner surprisingly left the Pacers to sign a big deal with the Bucks. Los Angeles could have tried to get in on that.

What the Bucks offered him was way more than the Lakers could have offered him, so it may not have worked anyway. Still, options are suddenly very thin for Los Angeles.

The Lakers, Celtics, and Pacers all fancy themselves as title contenders next year. All of them still need centers, so there is going to be a lot of competition in the next few days for the centers that are left.

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Los Angeles is one of the best free-agent destinations in the NBA, so that helps them. What hurts them is their cap situation. Making a trade might be the only way that they can get a center that is starting-caliber.

The Nets could look to move on from Nic Claxton. There's a chance they try to sign Deandre Ayton now that he has been waived. They could also look to trade for someone else who could be a surprise.

Within the next couple of days, a lot of the good centers are going to be gone. They need to make sure they get one by then.

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