Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the possible Marc Gasol replacement centers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Marc Gasol #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball guarded by Kelly Olynyk #9 of the Miami Heat at Staples Center on February 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Marc Gasol #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball guarded by Kelly Olynyk #9 of the Miami Heat at Staples Center on February 20, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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(Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers roster currently consists of 13 players, giving the team room to sign two mIf Gore players in free agency. The Lakers will most likely sign just one more player before the season starts with the intent of leaving the 15th roster spot open for an in-season move.

That is assuming that Marc Gasol plays next season. It is not a guarantee that Gasol will return to the Lakers next season and the team is reportedly weighing other center options in case he does not return.

Gasol could either look to retire from the NBA, potentially playing in Spain with his brother Pau. Or, if he really wants out of LA, the Lakers could make a trade happen that gets him out of LA without hurting the team’s salary situation.

If Gasol is not on the Lakers next season then the team likely has two more offseason signings under its belt to get the roster to 14 players.

There are several potential free-agent centers that the Los Angeles Lakers can pursue.

The center market is not great at this point in time but there are four centers that could be pursued by the Los Angeles Lakers. These four options were mentioned by Sanjesh Singh of Yahoo Sports and there absolutely is a hierarchy of which players would be the best fits in LA.

Without further ado, let’s rank the four potential Marc Gasol replacement centers not by the likelihood of them joining the Lakers, but by how good of an addition they would be.