Despite all the fanfare surrounding the midseason acquisition of guard Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers are still an unfinished product. That was made apparent to the basketball world in April, when the Minnesota Timberwolves dismissed the Lakers from the playoffs in five games.
Los Angeles has shown a willingness to tinker aggressively since forward LeBron James arrived before the 2019 season, and it doesn't sound like this offseason will be an exception. In a YouTube Q&A session Saturday afternoon, Jovan Buha of The Athletic pinpointed two realistic quality players the Lakers could add this offseason.
"I think looking at the current market, (Brooklyn Nets center Nic) Claxton and (Miami Heat forward Andrew) Wiggins are probably the best realistic players the Lakers could get for each of their two big holes," Buha said.
Neither are free agents—Claxton is entering year two of a four-year contract, while Wiggins has one year left on his deal with a player option for 2027. However, Buha suggested either player could make sense in a trade—and while such a transaction may harm Los Angeles's depth, it could immediately help the team's starting five.
Claxton has been a solid contributor for the Nets for several years, though he hasn't quite regained his 2023 form (which netted him Defensive Player of the Year votes). Wiggins, thrown into a midseason deal for forward Jimmy Butler, still has a good reputation from a mid-career mini-breakthrough in which he won the 2022 title with the Golden State Warriors.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lakers Insider Shares Two Best Players Team Could Get to Fill Rotation Holes.
