Lakers Rumors: Breaking Down Remaining Plans for 2023 Offseason
The Los Angeles Lakers put together a nice start to free agency by retaining some important young players, adding depth and letting go of players who did not perform well, if at all, last season.
The set of moves left the Lakers with 13 players on their active roster and an improved foundation around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The last thing on their offseason checklist should be to add another backup big man who can help spell Davis for extended spell of games and in certain contest where the starting center sits.
The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported that the Lakers "are targeting a big man" for their 14th roster spot.
Mo Bamba and Tristan Thompson were waived. Bamba signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Thompson could still come back, but the Lakers should also explore other options.
Current Roster
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Guards: D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Maxwell Lewis
Forwards: LeBron James, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt
Centers: Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes
The Lakers re-signed D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, three key parts of their core last season.
They added Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes through free agency, and then drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis.
Head coach Darvin Ham has plenty of time to figure out what his rotation will be for the 2023-24 season, but it looks easy to guess which players will fit in which roles.
Vincent will split the point guard duties with Russell, Prince will be asked to spread the floor with his three-point shooting ability and Hayes gives the Lakers extra size down low.
The two draft picks and Max Christie will compete either for time behind Reaves, or for minutes as the 10th and 11th players who see the floor during the regular season.
Reddish is a reclamation project who could thrive in a new environment, but there is also the concern that he fails to make an imprint on the rotation, like he did with the New York Knicks.
Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt give the Lakers two solid reserve rim protectors, and the addition of a third backup big man would reinforce that depth.
Backup Center
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The Lakers do not have many options to fill their backup center role.
They could re-sign Thompson to the reserve spot, or go after a younger option on the free-agent market.
Christian Wood is the best center left on the market, but he obviously would not fit with Los Angeles because he would require starting minutes.
The Lakers can't just sign someone for the sake of adding a body, which is why some of the backup centers without much recent playing time would not make sense.
Bol Bol, who was released by the Orlando Magic, averaged 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.
The 23-year-old could be an ideal backup to Davis in terms of production around the rim. The Lakers would be able to mold Bol's game and help him develop further at his age.
Willy Hernangomez or Bismack Biyombo could fit the role as well. Both players filled that position on other rosters last season.
Hernangomez averaged 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds behind Jonas Valanciunas in New Orleans, while Biyombo averaged 4.3 points and rebound for Phoenix.
Those two veteran options do not bring as much offense as Bol, but they are solid role players who could fit in nicely behind Davis instead of a development option.
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