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Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the cheap free-agent center options

By Jason Reed

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 20: Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Hassan Whiteside #20 of the Sacramento Kings at the Wells Fargo Center on March 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 129-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 20: Dwight Howard #39 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball against Hassan Whiteside #20 of the Sacramento Kings at the Wells Fargo Center on March 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Kings 129-105. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

One of the positions that the Los Angeles Lakers have to address this offseason is the center position. Andre Drummond is a free agent after being bought out, Montrezl Harrell has a player option that he will likely utilize and Marc Gasol, while under contract, was not great last year.

There is a contingent of Laker fans who want to see Gasol out of LA but it does not make a lot of sense for the team to get rid of the veteran big man unless he retires. They are not going to trade him for an improvement and the team needs all the depth it can get.

While Drummond puts up decent box score numbers he was a slight disappointment in LA and chances are he won’t return. The price is simply going to be too high for a team that does not have much to spend. If Tristan Thompson got two years $19 million then Drummond will get similar.

What the Los Angeles Lakers need is a cheap center via free agency.

Luckily for the Lakers, the center position is one of the most consistently cheap positions to target in free agency year in and year out. There are always veteran centers available and you can have them at a great price.

The center position is not as impactful as it once was, but it is still important to have a traditional veteran big that can provide the rim-protecting and rebounding presence, especially with the way that the Los Angeles Lakers are built.

There are five cheap centers that Rob Pelinka could likely sign with a minimum contract and we decided to rank the five by the potential impact on the Lakers.

Honorable mentions: DeMarcus Cousins, Dewayne Dedmon

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