Due to the arrival of LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers headed into the 18-19 season with the belief that they could compete in a packed Western Conference. Amidst huge expectations, Luke Walton's side started the season well, but LeBron missed much of early 2019 through injury, and the Lakers' playoff hopes were over by March.
However, they are determined to maximise the twilight of James' prime, and the team has already pulled off a monumental trade to land Anthony Davis.
The Lakers will also be among the major players in free agency, and with JaVale McGee set to leave, a center remains a priority. Luckily, there are plenty of capable bigs hitting free agency, and here are three centers that could head to Los Angeles.
#3 Willie Cauley-Stein
Over the past few days, the Sacramento Kings extended a qualifying offer to Willie Cauley-Stein, making him a restricted free agent. However, the center has spoken of his desire to leave the franchise that drafted him sixth overall in the 2015 draft, and the Kings signed Dewayne Dedmon to a three-year, $40 million deal last night.
Needless to say, Cauley-Stein will leave the team in the coming weeks, and the Kings could even withdraw their qualifying offer to their former starting center in order to free up further cap space.
At 25, Cauley-Stein will add youth to the roster, and his ability to finish off fast breaks and finish inside should be a good fit for the Lakers. Over the previous season, he averaged 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 81 games, and Cauley-Stein would be a great pickup if he could replicate the same numbers in Los Angeles.