Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential back-up centers to monitor this season
By Jason Reed
Potential back-up centers for the Los Angeles Lakers: 2. JaVale McGee
Yep, JaVale McGee. This might sound crazy considering that the team just traded him to essentially replace him with Marc Gasol. However, McGee is perhaps the biggest buyout candidate at the center position in the entire league and he is going to want to sign with a contender.
Obviously, the ball would be in McGee’s court and he could absolutely spurn the Lakers for another team. The Los Angeles Clippers could use some big man depth or maybe he re-joins former teammate Kevin Durant to contend in Brooklyn.
The Lakers, on paper, seem to be the best fit still. He would literally be rejoining a team that he just played for, so he knows exactly what to expect. From an outsider’s perspective, McGee seemed to really enjoy his time in LA and appeared to be a really positive presence in the locker room.
We would have to assume that there are no hard feelings between McGee and the Lakers, but I doubt it. McGee is someone who has bounced around the league and getting the opportunity to win another championship with the best team in the league is hard to pass on.
Rob Pelinka has been extremely savvy in the moves he makes, so I absolutely would not be shocked if he traded McGee only to re-sign him as a buyout player down the road.