Lakers Finally Fill Their Center Hole in Latest Projected Trade
The spectacular regular season the Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed was overshadowed by their opening-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Lakers pride themselves on pursuing and winning championships. That has been the goal for the franchise year in and year out for quite some time. To get back on the right track for the 2025-26 campaign, Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office know that the center position must be addressed, and one veteran would do just that for the Purple and Gold.
As Los Angeles fans know, the Purple and Gold ultimately chose to make a trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams in a deal that was rescinded following an issue with Williams’ team physical. What wasn’t known at the time is that Williams wasn’t the only Southeastern Division big man that the Lakers had on their radar, and those negotiations could be revisited this summer.
Lakers Address Center Issue in Latest Projected Trade for Onyeka Okongwu
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers made a call to the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the trade deadline to see what it would take to swing a deal for former USC Trojans big man Onyeka Okongwu. So, what would it potentially take to lure Okongwu back home to Southern California?
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This projected trade would give up slightly more than the deal to add Williams at the deadline would have. However, the case can be made that Okongwu is a more valuable player than the Hornets’ big man at this stage of their respective careers.
Los Angeles needs a true difference maker in the painted area and swinging a trade for Okongwu would provide the Lakers with just that and, at the end of the day, they won’t have to give up any core pieces of he puzzle to potentially make it happen.
