Star Big Man Mentioned as 'Name to Watch' For Lakers at Trade Deadline

One star big man has been mentioned as a trade candidate for the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to enter the new NBA season with essentially the same team that they had when the postseason ended last year. Despite being bounced out in the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles has been fairly quiet this offseason.

However, it hasn't been for a lack of trying. The front office has gone after multiple star-level players this summer but nothing has come to fruition yet.

General manager Rob Pelinka has preached patience with the roster but at this point, the team doesn't seem like true title contenders. While they still have stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers roster falls well behind others in the NBA.

But there is some hope for the upcoming trade deadline in February.

According to ESPN NBA insider Dave McMenamin, there is one star big man who could be a name to watch for the Lakers. That would be Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards, a player that Los Angeles had interest in this offseason.

"One name to watch: Jonas Valanciunas of the Washington Wizards. James offered to take a pay cut to open up the full midlevel exception to sign the free agent big man, but he opted for more guaranteed money from a three-year, $30 million deal in Washington. Still, the Lakers need a center, the Wizards don't figure to be contenders this season, and Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has a proven record of getting deals done with Washington's organization."

Landing Valanciunas would be great for the Lakers but it would also be a reminder of how ineffective the team was this offseason. They could have had the big man for nothing by outright signing him if they had been willing to open some salary and roster spots.

But getting him on a team-friendly deal to play alongside Davis in the frontcourt would be great to see. Last year with the New Orleans Pelicans, Valanciunas averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He also shot 30.8 percent from beyond the 3-point line, a number much lower than he normally has.

Valanciunas has been a 34.8 percent shooter from deep over his career so he could help give the Lakers a floor-spacing big man. This could be one of the missing pieces for the Lakers if they are able to land him at the deadline.

They will need to upgrade the team somehow with the Lithuanian big man being one of the better options.

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