The entire NBA knows that the Los Angeles Lakers will sign or trade for a center this summer.
An impact big man is the key piece missing from an otherwise solid roster headlined by Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
In surveying the market for a 5, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will be looking for a rim protector on offense and a lob threat on defense combined into one player.
A center who isn’t too old will be necessary, too, so that he can log big minutes over an 82-game season and what the Lakers hope will be a deep postseason run.
With all of the above in mind, Los Angeles’ top two targets are rumored to be Dallas Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford and Brooklyn Nets’ Nicolas Claxton.
Both players are 26 years old.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey recently envisioned what a Claxton-to-Lakers deal might look like.
“The Lakers adding a starting-caliber center might be the single most obvious move on the board for this summer,” Bailey wrote.
“And because L.A. didn’t have to pay anywhere near Luka’s full value to acquire him, they have plenty of trade fodder to land a big man.”
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Bailey then proposed the trade.
“Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, a 2028 first-round pick swap and a 2031 first-round pick for Nicolas Claxton,” Bailey wrote.
“This one sends the Nets salary-matching contracts, including one (Rui Hachimura’s) that could be flipped to a contender for more assets, a first-round pick swap and a first-round pick. That’s solid value for a 26-year-old center who’s struggled to produce at the same level he did when he was surrounded by stars.”
“With the Lakers, Claxton could get back to the volume of rim-running and rim-protecting he did in 2022-23, when he averaged 12.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, shot a league-leading 70.5 percent from the field and finished top-10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting.”
Claxton is entering the second season of a four-year, $97 million deal (per Spotrac). He’s owed $25.4 million in 2025-26.
If the Lakers could pull off snagging Clax for the above package, they should pull the trigger, but unfortunately for LA, Brooklyn might receive superior offers for the young center.
After a magical 2024-25 performance, we’ll see what Pelinka can pull off this offseason in the form of crucial trades.
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