#Lakers Center Options | #LakersFreeAgency 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers could have a lengthy to-do list for the 2024 NBA offseason.
They probably won't get much of it done during free agency.
Spending money could be tight or non-existent. And if it isn't, the Lakers could have even bigger problems to deal with, as that likely means LeBron James declined his player option and bolted out of town.
Free agency isn't the place where the Lakers can make radical changes this summer—they'd need to hit the trade market to make that happen—but they do have some things to accomplish.
Lakers are in need of another big man to support Anthony Davis, and veteran center Jonas Valanciunas from the Pelicans could be a viable option in the upcoming NBA free agency.
Valanciunas averaged 12.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game this season. He also recorded 33 double-doubles and had a standout game scoring 29 points and grabbing 13 boards.
The Lakers signed Drummond after he was bought out by the Cavaliers in March 2021. The two-time All-Star was still a starter and clinging to the end of his prime. LA needed talent, and the 6’11 big man was eager to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Drummond replaced Marc Gasol as the Lakers starting center. He averaged 11.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 block in 24.8 minutes per game over 21 contests. Drummond remained their starting center in the playoffs before being benched in the decisive Game 6 against the Suns.
Drummond is still one of the best rebounders in the league and has settled in as a backup center. If the Lakers want size and options in defending Nikola Jokic and the big-man trio in Minnesota, signing Drummond makes perfect sense. He could play 15 to 20 minutes off the bench and make a larger impact in specific matchups.
The 6’11 big man had interest in returning to the Lakers and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. LA will be limited in what they can offer, but Andre Drummond may take less to join a contender. Do not rule out this reunion.
Xavier Tillman is another option for LA to back up or play alongside AD too. Plus LA can get Tillman for less on the market.
Dwight Howard isn't giving up on his hopes of returning to the NBA, even if it means making a plea to Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss to sign him via song.
Howard has not made it a secret he still pays close attention to everything involving the Lakers. He had a post on X after Game 4 of their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets that the Lakers won to avoid being swept that made it seem like he believed they could pull off a miracle.
Howard hasn't played in the NBA since the last stint with the Lakers. He spent one season with the Taoyuan Leopards in 2022-23.
Despite lobbying for a job in the NBA last summer by saying he could play for "at least 15 to 20 teams," Howard went unsigned before agreeing to a deal with Mets de Guaynabo of Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional in March.
After getting roasted in a playoff series for the second straight year by Nikola Jokić, maybe Howard's pleas will be heard and the Lakers will sign him hoping he can be the Joker stopper.
So Z Nation, which center option should the Lakers target in free agency???
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