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The Los Angeles Lakers have had a highly successful offseason thus far, with Rob Pelinka securing the futures of key rotation players such as Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell, while also bolstering the team with promising young talent.
However, it is evident that the Lakers still have a void to fill in their big man rotation, and Pelinka is actively working to address this issue. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers are considering Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo for the 14th roster spot.
"Centers Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo are in consideration for that 14th roster spot, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter," Buha wrote. "The Lakers had interest in Dario Saric before he signed with the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, those sources said. Pelinka clarified that Los Angeles is hoping to find a player that is different than Hayes from a skill-set perspective."
Rob Pelinka recently noted how he doesn't want to acquire a big man with a similar skillset to what the Los Angeles Lakers already have on their roster. As such, it's logical that Christian Wood would likely be the team's preferred choice.
“I think dimensionalizing the skills at that position would be important,” Pelinka said. “So we don’t want to sign someone who replicates the skills that Jaxson Hayes has. So if we can diversify the big position and have different looks, that would be good.”
Christian Wood shot 37.6% from three-point range last season, further strengthening his reputation as a perimeter-based big man that can also work on the interior and control the glass. However, it remains to be seen whether Christian Wood would accept a veteran minimum deal in order to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers roster.
The Los Angeles Lakers would prefer a 'floor stretcher'
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Los Angeles Lakers would prefer to acquire a floor-stretching big during the free agency period.
“Beyond Hayes, Pelinka said L.A. is ‘actively in the market to add another big,’ and hinted that the Lakers would pursue a player with stretch 5 capabilities,” McMenamin wrote.
As such, any rumored interest in Bismack Biyombo will likely be a last resort. the 30-year-old big man is not a perimeter-based center. Instead, Biyombo gets his work done around the low post and dunker spot while also operating as a rim-runner.
Acquiring a big man with floor-spacing abilities can come at a premium cost in the NBA, as it is a sought-after skill set. However, the Lakers will need to convince Christian Wood that joining their team presents the best opportunity for him to rebuild his value in the league.
After falling short in last year's playoffs with a 4-0 sweep by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers are determined to come back stronger and contend for championships during LeBron James' final years in the league.
