5 players the Los Angeles Lakers could bring in to help Marc Gasol
4. Ed Davis
A former Laker from the dark days, Ed Davis would be a solid veteran addition to the Lakers’ bench. He’s the same height as Khem Birch but is ranked lower on my wishlist due to:
- Being three years older, and;
- Costing $2 million more in salary.
Davis is incredibly limited offensively, significantly more so than anyone else mentioned previously. However, he plays great interior defense, grading in the 97th percentile in rim deterrence and % of shots at the rim contested for 2019-20. He’s also elite at helping teammates score off his screens, tied with Birch for 4th in screen assists per 36 minutes.
Davis may also be the easiest member of this list to acquire. Not only are the Minnesota Timberwolves a very bad team, but when fully healthy, they have a logjam at the center position.
As it stands, he’s the third-string C behind Karl Anthony-Towns and Naz Reid. It thus makes little sense to keep Davis on the roster, especially when you consider that he’s making $5 million a year. The Lakers roster doesn’t need any more offensive firepower, so Davis’ limitations at that end shouldn’t be a deterrent.
His ability to provide quality defense at the center position in matchups where Anthony Davis can’t slide to the 5, makes him a valuable bench piece.