The Los Angeles Lakers‘ top priority is finding a starting-caliber center. But they also need depth.
Only five players averaged 20 minutes or more in the Lakers’ five-game loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Gabe Vincent (19.5 minutes) and Jarred Vanderbilt (12.0 minutes) are the only other players off the bench whom Lakers coach JJ Redick trusted in the postseason.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic floated two-way guard De’Anthony Melton, who is an unrestricted free agent, as a potential depth piece for the Lakers.
“I really like Melton as a flier,” Buha said on his “Buha’s Block” podcast. “At this point, he’s gonna be a vet-minimum guy. I think he’s a guy who, for a vet minimum contract, you could do a lot worse.”
Melton, 26, is coming off an ACL injury, which he sustained in November last year. The veteran guard is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the season.
Before the injury, Melton averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in six games, including two starts, for the Golden State Warriors. He played next to Stephen Curry and helped the Warriors get off to a 12-2 start.
His injury derailed the Warriors, who stumbled to 11th in the Western Conference until they made the big swing on Jimmy Butler that lifted them back to the playoffs. The Warriors quickly shipped Melton out for ex-Lakers guard Dennis Schröder in a move that fizzled out. They subsequently included Schröder in the Butler deal.
If healthy, the 6-foot-3 Melton could play as the third guard behind the Lakers’ backcourt duo of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
Lakers’ 3 ‘Dream’ Trade Targets
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report listed three centers — Utah Jazz’s Walker Kessler, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen and Brooklyn Nets’ Nic Claxton as the three “dream” trade targets for the Lakers.
“It’s no secret which position the Los Angeles Lakers will be targeting this offseason,” Swartz wrote. “Finding a starting center is a must, preferably one that can finish off lobs from Luka Doncic and LeBron James while providing some rim protection.
“Allen can fill both these needs while mixing in some passing chops. Kessler’s 2.4 blocks per game ranked second in the NBA this season and Claxton should be widely available from a rebuilding Nets team.”
Pacers Center Myles Turner’s ‘Clear’ Fit
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton named Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner as a “clear fit” with the Lakers and with their Western Conference rivals Golden State Warriors, who are also looking to add size to their small frontcourt.
“Turner has featured in trade rumors so long that he has been linked to just about every team in need of a starting center. A sign-and-trade would be complicated for the Warriors and the Lakers, but both franchises are clear fits in the unlikely event the Pacers and Turner can’t strike a deal,” Pelton wrote.
Turner will certainly command higher than his current $19.9 million salary, the final season of a two-year, $40 million deal. The problem is the Lakers do not have the cap room unless LeBron James declines his $52.6 million player option for next season and re-signs for a substantial pay cut. But they can also execute a sign-and-trade using their 2031 first-round pick as their bait, the same way they did in the rescinded Mark Williams trade.
