Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential back-up centers to monitor this season

Potential back-up centers for the Los Angeles Lakers: 3. Jahlil Okafor

I have written about the Los Angeles Lakers for nearly four years now and Jahli Okafor is one of those players that I have wanted to see in the purple and gold for quite some time. He was not as good as expected after being drafted third overall and at this point, he is who he is in the league.

However, LeBron James has the tendency to make big men even better with his ability to drive to the rim and dump the basketball off. If any team and coaching staff could get the most out of Okafor, it is the Lakers.

Okafor just signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Pistons in what was a really weird signing for the team. While he was just signed, I would not rule out the possibility of a trade.

The two sides would have to wait three months (March 1) before conducting a trade. Okafor would be a really cheap asset to acquire via trade and there should not be much competition on the trade market.

The Lakers could send Alfonzo McKinnie, Devontae Cacok and a 2024 second-round pick for Okafor. The Pistons would be getting a young three and D wing that just does not have a spot on this Lakers team in McKinnie as well as a younger center option in Cacok. Add in the draft capital and it is a decent package for someone such as Okafor.

This would not hurt the Lakers at all and I would not be shocked to see the Lakers make a trade like this. The Lakers are not shy in dealing players that were later draft picks or G League standouts. Just ask Moritz Wagner, or Thomas Bryant, or Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk.