Lakers News: Los Angeles on Hunt for Big Rotation Upgrade Ahead of Season

It's been a choppy preseason for the Lakers so far.

Apr 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers logo on the video board at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's been a choppy preseason for the Los Angeles Lakers so far.

The club has yet to win a preseason game (and is in the midst of its third Thursday night, against the Milwaukee Bucks). Rookie point guard Bronny James, selected with the No. 55 pick in June's 2024 NBA Draft, has had a rough start, averaging just a point a game.

Big men Christian Wood, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Koloko are all already out until at least the start of the regular season, though Wood could be out at least a few weeks beyond that October 22 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The lack of helpful center depth is such a pressing issue that it apparently has inspired Los Angeles' front office to look around for help at the five.

ESPN's new Adrian Wojnarowski replacement, Shams Charania, appeared on "NBA Today" and revealed to host Malika Andrews that L.A. management is on the hunt for reinforcements behind All-NBA starter Anthony Davis.

New on NBA Today: @ShamsCharania reports on the Lakers’ interest in adding a center to their roster. pic.twitter.com/KXAZTc6Az2

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) October 10, 2024

"Malika, sources tell me that the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center to their roster. Not sure exactly when that'll take place, but they have started looking into the marketplace," Charania said. "Christian Wood remains sidelined. He's got a knee issue. He had surgery recently, and so they're waiting for him to be back. But Jackson Hayes, in the interim, has really stepped up in training camp, has been a positive factor for the Lakers."

"But another thing to keep an eye on, Malika, is Christian Koloko," Charania indicated. "They signed him to a two-way contract before training camp. He was expected to play a potential reserve role on this roster. Our Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin and I have heard internally the Lakers' doctors have felt confident that he will be cleared by the league's fitness to play panel [as he recuperates from] his blood clot issue. But that is still an ongoing process. The Lakers are still waiting for answers from the league... on his clearance. That's going to be a major factor to keep an eye on, because this was a guy in Koloko who was going to play a potential role down the stretch of this season."

How much of a role Koloko was expected to play as a two-way signing is a bit fuzzy. Two-way players can play a maximum of 50 games with their NBA squad before their contract must be converted to a standard. They are also not permitted to suit up for the postseason unless their deal is upgraded.

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