The Los Angeles Lakers enter the offseason with more needs than arguably ever before. 
For a Lakers team that has the pieces to win a championship if they put the right supporting cast around Luka Doncic and LeBron James, this could be a scenario where the Lakers go all in and do whatever it takes to build a championship roster.
It remains to be seen what the Lakers plan to do.
Lakers Ready to Make a Trade?
In a recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, they’d move on from Jarred Vanderbilt, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick swap for Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks, giving the Los Angeles Lakers exactly what they need at the center position.
Fadeaway World believes this deal would give the Lakers “their most glaring postseason need.”
“This deal would give the Lakers a center who addresses their most glaring postseason need: size and interior presence… During their first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers’ lack of a true shot-blocking center left them completely overmatched, forcing coach J.J. Redick to run small-ball lineups that simply couldn’t hold up.
“Mitchell Robinson, though injury-prone, checks the boxes the Lakers need filled. A true 7-footer, Robinson has made a career of protecting the rim and catching lobs; two skills tailor-made for a team featuring LeBron James and Luka Doncic,” Vishwesha Kumar wrote.
Should Lakers Have Concerns About Mitchell Robinson?
Robinson has injury concerns, but has been very good for the New York Knicks over the past few years.
If the Los Angeles Lakers are watching him play against the Boston Celtics during the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, they see what Robinson can do on both ends.
Sure, the Celtics are fouling him intentionally, and he’s missing free throws, but they’re only doing so because of how good he’s been. Robinson, whose stats might not show the impact he brings, is cleaning up on the boards, posting at least seven rebounds in each of the first five games.
Will Rob Pelinka Give the Lakers What They Need?
In years past, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka hasn’t given the team what they need.
Sure, he made that blockbuster move for Doncic, but there’s been plenty more that he could’ve done, something that has frustrated many Lakers fans.
However, when speaking to the media, he added that he understands Los Angeles needs a center to compete at the highest level, a promising sign that Pelinka knows what his team finally needs.
“It would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively,” Pelinka said, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
“I think those would be key. But there’s multiple different types of centers that can be very effective in the league. There’s also spread centers that can protect the rim. We’ll look at those as well. So I wouldn’t want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.”
It’s much easier said than done regarding what the Lakers need, but there’s a whole offseason to figure that out. Whether it be in the draft, free agency, or in a trade like this for Robinson of the New York Knicks, there seems to be a sense of wanting more, and that’s never a bad thing.
