New Lakers Rumors on Potential NBA Free Agency Targets, Assistant GM Search

The Los Angeles Lakers have a major offseason ahead of them, but interestingly, they haven't filled out their assistant general manager position ahead of it.

As Dan Woike of The Athletic wrote, "This has been a surprise around NBA circles, but the team has yet to fill the assistant general manager role they sought to handle player evaluation and development. The team was unable to land Minnesota executive Steve Senior or Philadelphia exec Prosper Karangwa. They've been conducting interviews since before the end of the playoffs and still haven't landed a candidate they want who wants to come to Los Angeles. The changes we know—Tony Bennett as a draft consultant and Rohan Ramadas as their assistant GM of strategy and data systems—plus the involvement of Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi and Lon Rosen mean there are some new voices in the team's huddles. Kurt Rambis, who has relationships with both the older regime and the newer one, is also still involved, per league sources granted anonymity to discuss the Lakers freely."

Who the team's next center will be perhaps isn't as pressing a topic as whether Austin Reaves and LeBron James will return, but it's nonetheless an important offseason priority.

Woike noted that the Lakers like Walker Kessler and "the door could be slightly open for a sign-and-trade that would make Utah uncomfortable with the financial commitment to their frontcourt," but added that he doesn't think the Jazz want to part with him.

He listed Yves Missi and Robert Williams III as possibilities, noted that "Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein are far more likely to return to their teams than to enter free agency" and was skeptical whether the Cleveland Cavaliers would part ways with Jarrett Allen.

So add it to the many question marks surrounding the Lakers this summer as they look to build a contender around Luka Dončić.