The question of who will be the starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2025-26 NBA season is the most pressing, most discussed topic leading up to the official start of the offseason. Anthony Irwin thought the answer to this question is obvious.
On an episode of Buha's Block, Jovan Buha and his guest were asked who the most likely center to land in Los Angeles would be during the 2025 offseason. After taking a moment to weigh the options, Irwin responded with Nicolas Claxton.
"The Lakers have a history of working with Brooklyn on a deal," Irwin commented. "We know that Rob [Pelinka] does kind of like to work with the same executives around the league."
Buha's podcast partner for the day thought the cards 'aligned really easily with Claxton.' The host agreed with the sentiment, highlighting that the Brooklyn Nets center was one of his two names as well. Buha added Clint Capela to his own answer.
Projected Claxton-Capela frontcourt would be perfect tandem for Lakers
After the disaster of the Mark Williams trade, the Lakers were forced to feature Jaxson Hayes as their lone big man more often than not in 2024-25. To some capacity, any tandem that features two playable centers would be an upgrade over that situation.
If the Lakers can secure a duo of Claxton and Capela as their two guys up front, it would be as close to an ideal offseason as Pelinka could have with regard to addressing the frontcourt woes. That situation would be a gigantic shift that pushes Los Angeles much closer to a title next season.
Claxton may not be as appealing of an option as someone like Walker Kessler, which was something mentioned in the episode referenced above, however there are a ton of reasons to love him as a trade target. The strong fit with Luka Doncic and the Lakers roster was highlighted by Irwin.
The Lakers writer brought up strong point regarding Claxton's appeal as a lob threat and a switchable defender at the center position. The Nets big man is also a strong rim protector, having averaged 1.7 blocks per game throughout his career.
Capela backing up Claxton would give the Lakers some solid consistency in the frontcourt. The free agent center is certainly on the decline in his career, but there is still enough left in the tank for the former Atlanta Hawks big man to give the Lakers quality rotational minutes.
Capela can offer similar assets as a play finisher and rim protector down low. It would certainly not be up to the same quality of Claxton, but it would undoubtedly be an upgrade over this past season, when the bar was non-existent.
Ultimately, if the Lakers walked away from the 2025 offseason with this frontcourt tandem, there should be plenty of enthusiasm about the future. The Lakers would have 48 minutes of quality play at center in 2025-26.