Wenyen Gabriel – Los Angeles Lakers
After bouncing around the league throughout his first few seasons, Wenyen Gabriel has found a nice home with the Lakers over the past season and a half. He played the most prominent role of his career this past season, having averaged 15.1 minutes per contest in 68 appearances this past season. His previous career high in games played was 30 in a season. It would not be shocking at all if the Lakers kept the big man around.
In his extended minutes, Gabriel showed plenty of promise with the Lakers in 2022-23. After just turning 26 years old, the center still has plenty of room to grow and could do so right in LA with a Lakers team looking to contend. He can be utilized as a small-ball center when the team utilizes those lineups, as he’s just 6-foot-9. He plays with tremendous amounts of energy and intensity nightly, which were constantly on display this past season.
Retaining Gabriel should be cheap for the Lakers; perhaps a minimum deal would be enough to convince him to stick around. It would be a low-risk move for the Lakers, as they can never have enough depth in the frontcourt.