Lakers Reportedly Viewed as Favorite to Land Star Center

The Los Angeles Lakers are now viewed as the favorite to land a solid center.

Dec 19, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the teams that everyone is watching as the trade deadline approaches in a couple of months. They are a team that needs to improve their roster if they want to have a chance to win an NBA championship. The current roster isn't quite good enough.

The Lakers have two superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those two are what the current roster is built around. Los Angeles goes as those two go. Still, the Lakers are looking for other players who can add depth around those two, especially with the bench unit.

Los Angeles has been looking around for guys who can bolster that bench unit. They can use a few different kinds of players. If they end up getting a guard, they can use one who is more defensive-minded than D'Angelo Russell, who has been moved to the bench because of his poor defense.

Going after a wing would mean they are looking for someone who is more 3-and-D oriented. That is the most coveted kind of player, so that might be hard to find. It's more likely that the Lakers end up going after a center. They could use either a rim-runner or someone who is better at banging down low.

According to those around the league, it looks like the Lakers are the favorite to land one of the centers that is on the trade market. That center is Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas currently comes off the bench for the Washington Wizards and is highly coveted around the league.

Valanciunas is someone who can help the Lakers protect the rim when Davis is on the bench or if he gets hurt. He's still an excellent rebounder, and he's even expanded his game to the point that he can shoot threes now too. He would fit very well with who the Lakers have on the bench unit right now.

At this moment, it looks like the Lakers are the favorites to land the big man. If the Lakers do make a move to get him, they might even decide to start him occasionally and move Davis to the power-forward spot. That is the position he has preferred to play for most of his career.

It doesn't sound like a deal would happen until sometime closer to the deadline. Once the month of February rolls around, we'll learn more about what the Lakers might do.

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