The Los Angeles Lakers need a third center with size, strength and rim-protecting skills. LA went out and got Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney this past offseason, but the depth chart is still thin at center, especially given Kessler's injury risk and Looney's age/mileage. You know who the Lakers could really use as a third center? Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic.
There's only one slight problem with acquiring Bitadze -- he reportedly insulted Luka Doncic's entire family (Warning: the Tweet contains NSFW language) during an on-court altercation last season!
Do the Lakers really want to upset Luka by bringing in a guy he has reason to despise? Or has Doncic moved past this situation enough to start afresh with Bitadze as a teammate? These are questions that Lakers analyst Trevor Lane was pondering this week as he brought up Bitadze as an obvious trade target for the Lakers.
Goga Bitadze is an obvious trade target for the Lakers, but he insulted Luka Doncic's family
"I don't know how Luka would feel about it," Lane said. "But I keep finding myself landing on Goga Bitadze [as a trade target].
The reason that Lane keeps landing on Bitadze is that he'd be an awesome basketball fit on the Lakers. He's got the strong frame to battle on the glass and set solid screens, plus he can finish at (and protect) the rim. Whereas Jaxson Hayes isn't strong enough to be an enforcer off the bench, Bitadze is an entirely different kind of player and a more appropriate fit for that third center role in LA.
Kessler-Looney-Bitadze would be a center group to feel really good about if you're the Lakers. They'd be able to trade Hayes, too, if they wanted to.
But the Luka problem remains. Or should we call it the Bitadze problem? During a game last March, Doncic and Bitadze got into an altercation that resulted in multiple technical fouls. Luka later revealed that Bitadze had crossed a line by insulting his family. No bueno.
It would be understandable if Luka doesn't want Bitadze on the Lakers. Surely, a simple conversation with Luka could help gauge the situation if you are Lakers GM Rob Pelinka. Who knows, maybe there's a chance that Luka thinks this could be a water-under-the-bridge sort of situation.
At some point, the Lakers are going to be exposed for their thin center depth if they don't acquire another big body. Bitadze would be perfect from a basketball standpoint.
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