The Los Angeles Lakers decided to run it back with most of last year’s roster with some key upgrades to the rotation. The result was a very solid showing in free agency that has fans excited about the team’s title aspirations in 2024.
Los Angeles still has two more roster spots to utilize and there are two positions that need the most attention: center and shooting guard. At it stands right now, it appears that adding another big might be the first priority, with the Lakers potentially leaving the 15th roster spot open for a future buyout (or potentially a non-guaranteed contract).
With this intel in mind, Bleacher Report recently predicted every NBA team’s top free agent target remaining. For the purple and gold, B/R predicts that the team’s top target is big man Bismack Biyombo, which wouldn’t be the most exciting addition.
"“Looking at this roster, though, it could use another big, particularly one who’s more reliable on defense than Hayes. Bismack Biyombo could fill that opening while checking boxes for physicality and paint protection on the second unit. […] Of the 367 players to log 500-plus minutes this past season, only Defensive Player of the Year winner Jaren Jackson Jr. bettered Biyombo’s 9.0 block percentage.”"
While Biyombo seems like a decent target for the Lakers through this context, he is not the kind of big the team should be targeting after Mo Bamba signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lakers would be silly to sign Bismack Biyombo after losing Mo Bamba.
The Lakers really just need a third big that can provide depth in the regular season. Anthony Davis has not been the most reliable superstar in the league and the less the Lakers put on his plate in the regular season the better.
Jaxson Hayes is the only other traditional big in the lineup and with him primarily backing up Davis, there currently isn’t even a lineup where the Lakers could play AD with a traditional big. If the team were to sign Biyombo that would continue to be the case as the offense would sputter if Biyombo played with another big.
In a perfect scenario, the Lakers would be able to find a big that could not only log reserve minutes, but could play alongside Anthony Davis in creative lineups. Darvin Ham will have an entire season to experiment with this, unlike the crunch he had when Bamba was acquired after the deadline.
Biyombo is not the answer for the purple and gold. Bamba would have been the perfect answer, but alas, he left to a team that can promise a larger role in the rotation.