Veteran Center Being Shopped in Possible Trade, Should Lakers Make a Move?

John Robinson | 4 Hours Ago

Sep 25, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka at press conference at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are less than a month away from the start of the NBA regular season, where all eyes will be on them as they open up the year against the new-look New York Knicks. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka did not make any block-bluster trades this summer, however, as dominoes begin to fall across the NBA landscape there might be an 11th-hour transaction on the horizon.

Over the last two seasons, the Lakers front office has been under fire by fans because of their inability to land another star-level player to pair alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. After the failed experiment with Russell Westbrook, the decision-makers in Los Angeles seem to be more cautious in how they approach acquiring new pieces.

This will be the Lakers' first season under the leadership of newly hired head coach JJ Redick. With the roster very much similar to how it looked a season ago, Redick believes he will be able to maximize this group.

The NBA community was put into a frenzy on Thursday after news broke that the New York Knicks were trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl Anthony-Towns. This move came as a surprise because Minnesota was a series away from being in the NBA Finals, so deciding to trade the former number overall pick seemed to come out of nowhere.

With a new center in the Big Apple, the Knicks' front office has been reportedly looking to shop Mitchell Robinson as his minutes would take a significant hit if he was put into a reserve role. The Lakers could emerge as a team that could be interested in doing business with New York in order to acquire Robinson.

Rob Pelinka has to find another center for this Lakers' roster especially due to Christian Wood's expected absence to start the season, and Davis telling the front office that he does want to play fewer minutes at the five. The Knicks need another 3-point shooter after they sent their best sniper to Minnesota, while the Lakers need frontcourt depth which could make a mutual interest between franchises.

Lakers need a center & Knicks need a shooter.

Hypothetically my thought process:

Gabe Vincent, a Lakers 2025 2nd round pick and a filler like Jalen Hood-Schifino in exchange for Mitchell Robinson would work from a math standpoint. https://t.co/HEo7wBMInd pic.twitter.com/jW2EHvoobp

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 29, 2024

In a proposed trade that made sense for both franchises, it was suggested that the Knicks should trade Robinson to the Lakers for guards Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and a second-round pick. This trade seems like a win for both parties as they address needs on their rosters.

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