4 former Los Angeles Lakers that the team can re-sign this summer

4. JaVale McGee

The Los Angeles Lakers have not been able to figure out the center position. In fact, Rob Pelinka’s track record at center has been pretty bad, with most of his decisions seeming to be the wrong decision.

The best year for the Lakers at the five was a year the team lucked into. JaVale McGee was already on the roster and the team has to scramble to sign Dwight Howard after DeMarcus Cousins tore his ACL in an offseason workout.

The pairing of McGee and Howard was not anything inherently special but that was the beauty of it. You do not need to try and be creative at the five when you have Anthony Davis on the team. All you need are some options to rebound, block shots and take some workload off of AD in the regular season.

That is what made the McGee-Howard pairing so solid. Then the Lakers decided to trade McGee just to make room for Marc Gasol, who lasted one year in LA and did not play great in the slightest.

Whether Howard comes back or not, McGee could be a target for the Lakers. He signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns last summer but will likely be back to getting a minimum contract.

If the Lakers want to part ways with Howard then they are going to need a cheap option to replace him like McGee. However, there is also the possibility of the team still wanting two traditional centers on the roster and Pelinka could try and recapture the magic of Howard and McGee.