The Lakers don’t appear to be shying away from letting the plan for their 14th roster spot be known. While the team added free-agent center Jaxson Hayes, their need to bolster the frontcourt depth is a widespread belief.
And if it wasn't before, general manager Rob Pelinka cleared that up recently when speaking to the media, as The Athletic's Jovan Buha detailed.
“I think adding Jaxson Hayes was key to that,” Pelinka said. “I think Jaxson, much like maybe Dwight Howard in that stretch for us: big body, rim protector, active roller. … But we are looking to add an additional center as well.”
An interesting plot twist to the Lakers' pursuit of another big man is that one of the names they were targeting for front-court depth was snatched up by the Warriors in Dario Saric. As Buha reported, the Lakers had interest in Saric, prior to Golden State signing him last week.
Now, it appears the team's sights have shifted, and two names to circle are Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo, per Buha.
Centers Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo are in consideration for that 14th roster spot, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Wood has been a popular name among fans of frontcourt-needy teams following his lone season with the Mavericks. The 27-year-old big man averaged 21 and 17.9 points over two seasons with the Rockets prior to that, and during his lone season in Dallas posted marks of 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the field in just 25.9 minutes per game.
As for Biyombo, he'd certainly add a defensive weapon to the Lakers' frontcourt, as the former Suns center averaged 1.4 blocks in just 14.3 minutes per game last season. While Biyombo isn't a major offensive threat, averaging 5.1 points per game in his career, he's a strong rebounder. His best season on the glass came in 2015-16 with the Toronto Raptors when he averaged eight rebounds in 22 minutes per game while seeing action in every contest.
