Lakers lose to Nuggets again, this time a perfect free-agent center target

The Los Angeles Lakers had a promising turnaround last season that ultimately ended in the Western Conference Finals. Despite being swept by the Denver Nuggets, the series was competitive and gave Lakers fans hope for the 2023-24 season.

That hope has only grown as the Lakers have arguably had the best showing of any NBA team in free agency. Los Angeles was able to bring back last year’s core (at a great price, nonetheless) while also making key additions that will help propel the team further.

The one lingering need for the Lakers — who have 13 active players signed to the roster — is another big. Rob Pelinka himself confirmed the team was active in the free-agent center market and is looking for someone with a different skillset than Jaxson Hayes.

Well, the Lakers had a perfect option that they were familiar with as he won the G League Defensive Player of the Year with the South Bay Lakers. Instead of bringing him home, though, the Lakers lost once again to the Nuggets.

Lakers inexplicably lose Jay Huff to the Nuggets

It is hard to understand why the Los Angeles Lakers were not pounding the table to bring Jay Huff back into the fold as he has done everything in his power to earn a spot in the team’s rotation. He is exactly what the team has been looking for at the position as well.

On top of being fantastic defensively in the G League, Huff is a floor-spacing big that can add a new wrinkle to the Lakers’ rotation without having to sacrifice any size or rim protection. Huff shot 40.4% on 1.7 threes per game in the G League last season. News flash: the G League three-point line is the same distance as the NBA three-point line.

There aren’t any great options on the free-agent market so it is unclear what the Lakers are waiting for. As promising as Colin Castleton has been in Summer League he does not offer a different skillset than Hayes and he is more raw than Huff is.

Are the Lakers waiting for a better veteran to hit the market after getting waived or bought out? It is possible but the fact that Huff signed a two-way deal makes this argument worse for LA. If Huff was willing to sign a two-way deal then LA probably could have signed him to a non-guaranteed NBA contract.

Despite all of the great player development throughout the years, the center position has been a bit of a blindspot for Rob Pelinka. The center position has long been a revolving door of players with LA constantly letting talented centers go (Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez, for example).

This could be another example of that. Huff could have been someone that LA used to throw at Nikola Jokic without sacrificing floor spacing. Now, he is someone who is going to benefit from being with the same organization as Jokic and might turn into a playoff rotation guy as a result.