No center signed! Lakers ink a forward! Insider: Possibility of a James trade is not ruled out

At 6 AM Beijing time today, the NBA free agency officially opened, with every team rushing to make signings in an effort to become championship contenders. The Lakers signed only one player today, forward Jack LaLavia, on a 2-year, $12 million contract.

LaLavia has been training with Reeves throughout this offseason. He is 23 years old, 2.01 meters tall, weighs 106 kilograms, graduated from Wake Forest University, and was selected 19th overall in the first round of the 2022 draft by the Timberwolves. Last season with the Kings, he averaged 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and shot 38.5% from three-point range.

By the way, the forward we lost yesterday, Fini Smith, joined the Rockets on a 4-year, $53 million contract. Congratulations to him.

On December 30 last year, the Lakers traded Russell, Lewis, and three second-round picks (2027, 2030, 2031) to the Nets in exchange for Fini Smith and Milton.

It is well known that the Lakers' most lacking position is center. So, what is the current situation with centers?

Yesterday, NBA reporter Dan Woike reported that the Lakers targeted Lopez, Capela, and Ayton for their center recruitment.

Today, Capela returned to the Rockets, signing a 3-year, $21.5 million contract; Lopez joined the Clippers with a 2-year, $18 million deal; therefore, the only center the Lakers are most interested in now is Ayton.

However, the Lakers have already split their full mid-level exception of $14.1 million to sign LaLavia, leaving only $8.2 million, making it difficult to sign Ayton at this point.

Yesterday, the Trail Blazers paid $25.5 million to buy out Ayton, making him a free agent. Renowned reporter Chris Haynes reported today that the likelihood of Ayton joining the Lakers is very high.

Over the past two seasons, Ayton played 95 games for the Trail Blazers, all as a starter, averaging 31.5 minutes, 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, with a shooting percentage of 56.9%, three-point percentage of 16.7%, and free throw percentage of 75.5%.

At 5 AM Beijing time today, Ayton's buyout clearing period began and will end in two days. Currently, Ayton can already reach verbal agreements with other teams.

NBA reporter Jake Weinbach stated that once Ayton’s clearing period ends, the Lakers are very likely to be the frontrunner to sign him. Since Ayton and Doncic share the same agent, Bill Duffy, the buyout might be aimed at pairing them together in Los Angeles.

NBA reporter Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers want to save salary cap space for the 2027 free agency to possibly sign a max player: “Although Fini Smith is a well-liked figure in the locker room and helped the Lakers achieve a 14-6 record in 20 regular-season starts, the Lakers remained disciplined in negotiations to preserve cap space for 2027, anticipating room to sign a max free agent then.”

If we don’t focus on the present and don’t push for a championship in LeBron’s final years, then we truly do him a disservice.

The reporter said on a TV show: “I spoke with Rich Paul, and he hasn’t discussed any trade with the Lakers yet. He did say that in the past 24 hours, four teams have reached out to him wanting to explore a trade involving LeBron, but Rich hasn’t had substantive talks with those teams.”

Shams stated on the show that LeBron is closely monitoring every move made by Pelinka.

LeBron’s agent Rich Paul’s statement from two days ago ended with a meaningful sentence.

“He (LeBron) wants to make an impact in every remaining season of his career, and the Lakers fully understand, support, and always prioritize his interests.”

If the Lakers’ management continues to underperform this year and their development plan conflicts with LeBron’s goals, it wouldn’t be surprising if LeBron chooses to leave the Lakers.