There’s never quite a time to lose your big man in the NBA, but Los Angeles Lakers I really couldn’t have asked for worse timing Anthony Davislatest injury. The recent COVID-19 outbreak in the NBA has had desperate teams nabbing every worthy free agent, so it’s not as if the Lakers could easily look to the pool of free agents to find a replacement position while Davis recovers for the next month or so . Their interior options are also not attractive. Deandre Jordan He lost his place in the spin for good reason before despair brought him back minutes. Dwight Howard Currently due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. two upward directions Jay Huff He’s only played 13 minutes this season.

The Lakers’ saving grace is the date on the calendar. With December 15 now showing up in the rearview mirror, the majority of NBA players are now eligible to trade. The Lakers have neither the assets nor the salary matching a huge movie swing to a new big guy, but beggars can’t be chosen. A dependable 15 minutes a night in the frontal area would be a great value for the time being. So let’s explore what’s realistically in the commercial market right now for a set of second-round picks and a matching minimum salary (let’s say no more than two minimum-paid Lakers, which would allow the Lakers to absorb about $4.3 million in salary ). Given the COVID situation the entire league is facing at the moment, teams may well decide to hoard their players and avoid deals altogether so they can more comfortably rely on their players to be available. The Lakers might not be so lucky if that’s the case, but at least these five players make little sense as hypothetical trading targets.

Here’s the pie in the sky’s goal. Mitchell Robinson is fully eligible for injury-replacement trade target status, and New York Knicks He almost certainly wouldn’t take a bunch of his second-round picks even considering his disappointing season. Even if they did, it’s worth noting that Robinson recently fired Rich Bull as his agent, so the influence that Clutch Sports has in the front office will likely be used against him, and he is arguably facing his worst season as a professional after earning £20 off the season. However, it is still worth a phone call for the following reasons:

• Robinson recently lost his first job in New York to Nerlence Noel. The Knicks also command the All-NBA power forward Julius RandleDraft final shots Obi Tobin And Jericho Sims, and a longtime favorite Tom Thibodeau Gibson’s crown in the front court.
• Recently Robinson Post encrypted messages On social media he complains about his role.
• Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent this off-season. If he wants to get a huge contract, it’s in his best interest to make sure he finishes the season at a team he plans to take advantage of his bird rights in order to keep him given there is very little space around the league. This may be the Knicks, but if not, he may prefer to trade.
• was Lakers tightly tied to Robinson during the preliminary draft process in 2018. There were reports that they promised him the 25th pick overall. The choice comes with its own chaotic history, as there is reportedly a rift within the front office between Mo Wagner, who has already chosen him, and my life spielmanWhich Lakers scouts were said to prefer. Robinson dropped to 36th.

So…there’s some smoke here. It is worth making a phone call to see if there is a fire. The Knicks could almost certainly get more than the Lakers could give if they put Robinson there, and if Robinson wanted a more offensive role, he probably wouldn’t find it in L.A. But the Lakers desperately need the sporty side in the front zone, and Robinson provides a boatload of it. He is also playing for a new contract so any acquired team should expect him to do everything they can to fit in. Robinson may not have been able to play alongside Davis And Russell Westbrook Given his very traditional offensive role as a no-shooting roller, but if he gets back to his old defensive form he could make a huge difference at that end of the floor.

This is where more realistic goals come in. The Lakers had Damian Jones in the building for a brief period last season, but let him go to make room for him Andre Drummond in the buying market. They regretted almost immediately this decision. Drummond is frustrated. His presence is repulsive Mark Gasol. Jones blossomed into an expanded role in Sacramento. But that role has since diminished. He’s only appeared in 14 matches for kings This season, the Kings have a surprisingly busy front yard now Tristan Thompson In town, Marvin Bagley III re-appeared as a rotation player. Kings are so caught up in COVID protocols that they’re probably at least a week away from considering a deal, but if they don’t use Jones, grabbing a draft of it makes sense.

But after this in the offseason hold friends Disaster, the Kings probably wouldn’t be too eager to help the Lakers. It was said that their decision to back out of a deal was, by all accounts, on the verge of expiring, leaving the Kings administration.”steaming. “The NBA is a business relationship. Rob Pelinka knows that as well as being a former agent, and the Lakers have a number of productive relationships around the league. processorsFor example, help them create maximum space in 2020, so the Lakers turned around and helped them land Spencer Dinwiddy In 2021 without getting anything in return. Kings may not be willing to play ball here.

3. Mo Wagner

We’re sticking with the previous Lakers here but we’re going in a completely different direction. Wagner was a huge victim as the Lakers raced to create maximum space in 2020 and have struggled to catch up anywhere since. the Charm He’s the fourth in the NBA, and while his role is minimal, he’s been fairly consistent, and with his brother Franz in his place as an essential part of Orlando’s future, he probably won’t deal with magic versus clipping. Still, Mo Bamba And Wendell Carter Jr.. (when he’s healthy) clearly in front of him in clicking order, and Robin Lopez Totally capable of playing more than he has for magic.

Wagner has very little in common with Jones or Robinson. They are typical centers, but Wagner is more of a stretch center. He’s struggled in this role for most of his NBA career, but now he’s up 37 percent from behind the arc this season. He has an untapped defensive ability to move around, so while he might not be much of a squire, Frank Vogel can definitely find some more creative tactical uses for him. With or without Davis, this is the kind of big guy that probably should have had the Lakers on the bench from the start. Not only does he fit in more easily with Westbrook, but stylistically contrasts with Howard’s. The Lakers largely lack lineup versatility, and Wagner could provide a few of that.

the hawks Gorgui Dieng basically signed to keep them in the backup position until Onyeka Okongwu is back. Well… Onyeka Okongwu is back, and it wasn’t as if Dieng set the world on fire in his place. His role has steadily diminished throughout the season, and now in his thirties, there’s no telling how much he actually has left to contribute to the winning team. At a minimum, the Falcons probably wouldn’t bargain much for it. It is likely that they will welcome the salary savings generated from dealing with him.

But Dieng, on a limited scale, has in the past filled the role of a coveted unicorn of the big shot-blocking man who can make three-pointers. He’s made roughly 38 percent of his long-range attempts over the past three seasons, although the volume has been somewhat limited. His defense has slipped a bit at the time, and if that’s a priority, the Lakers will likely look elsewhere. But the best version of Dieng could play Westbrook and Davis on the floor, and there aren’t a lot of bottom deal positions out there that can say that.

5. Whichever Dallas Center is available

Jason Kidd may be using files christaps porsingis He’s more power forward than Rick Carlisle ever did, but that doesn’t mean he needs all of his positions. Dwight Powell And maxi clipper She also used the center minutes, that left very little for Willie Cole SteinAnd Boban Marjanovic And Moses Brown. The three barely got together to play as many minutes (350) as DeAndre Jordan (314).

The Lakers can’t be too picky here. Any of the three could play a role for them. His portability and verticality will probably make Cauley-Stein the most attractive of the three, but if they want to keep using smaller bench formations with James and Westbrook benefiting from maximum spacing, Marjanovic can at least create some shots in the minutes they need comfort. Brown double machine of desperation Thunder sound A year ago, it was probably the highest.