Lakers' Roster, Starting Lineup After JaVale McGee Trade, Marc Gasol Contract
The Los Angeles Lakers continued to reshape their frontcourt Sunday.
They had already agreed to a two-year deal with Montrezl Harrell, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe reported they added Marc Gasol on a two-year contract. According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers are also trading JaVale McGee to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Jordan Bell and Alfonzo McKinnie going the other way.
Here's the Lakers' projected depth chart with Gasol in the fold:
- PG: Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso
- SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wesley Matthews
- SF: LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker
- PF: Anthony Davis*, Kyle Kuzma
- C: Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell
*Davis remains a free agent and is expected to re-sign with the Lakers, but per Wojnarowski, he "plans to wait at least through Thanksgiving as he considers his options on the length and structure of maximum contract deals."
The addition of Gasol means Harrell slides into the bench role he played to such great effect with the Los Angeles Clippers. Harrell was crowned the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year after he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds during the regular season.
The playoffs put a spotlight on his flaws, though. The Clippers were minus-11.6 per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per NBA.com, and The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported former head coach Doc Rivers' reliance on Harrell over Ivica Zubac was criticized within the organization.
Gasol is no longer an All-Star center, and he didn't play well in the Toronto Raptors' most recent playoff run. He averaged 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 18.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Still, the 35-year-old averaged 11.3 rebounds per 100 possessions in the regular season, right around his career average (11.9), per Basketball Reference. According to NBA.com, he also held opponents to 55.6 percent shooting inside six feet and 55.9 percent inside 10 feet.
McGee is a better pure rim protector than Gasol and a solid rebounder himself. Gasol will offer more floor-spacing and playmaking, though.
In general, center isn't a position at which Los Angeles needs a star.
Gasol and Harrell will probably have their roles somewhat diminished in the playoffs, too, since Anthony Davis is likely to get more run at the 5. McGee and Dwight Howard combined to average 35.5 minutes per game in the regular season and then 25.3 minutes per game in the postseason.
Signing Gasol to complement Harrell only strengthens the Lakers' championship repeat bid in 2021.
