6 Former Lakers the team could reunite with for 2024-25 season

6. Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner is entering the 2024 NBA offseason with a team option worth $8 million ultimately deciding his future. It's a small price to pay in the current state of the NBA, especially when one considers how productive Wagner has been.

In the event that the Orlando Magic opt against bringing Wagner back, however, the Los Angeles Lakers could find an ideal backup center in a player it once drafted.

The Lakers selected Wagner at No. 25 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Wagner played just one season with Los Angeles before he was traded to the Washington Wizards as a part of the three-team deal that ultimately landed Anthony Davis in purple and gold.

Five years later, Wagner could become an unrestricted free agent and potentially fill one of the most significant voids on the Lakers' roster.

Los Angeles finished the 2023-24 regular season ranked dead last in the NBA in second-chance points. That was especially disappointing considering Davis was No. 1 among players in that same statistic. Wagner, meanwhile, averaged 22.1 points and 3.0 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

Wagner's minutes were limited to 17.7 per game this season, but the Lakers shouldn't be afraid to prioritize signing a player whose physicality, intensity, and commitment to the offensive glass would fill a major need.

Defensive flaws would need to be acknowledged and accounted for, but Wagner's offensive capabilities could make him an ideal backup to Davis as a returning Laker.