The Los Angeles Lakers are shoring up their frontcourt depth. ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that the Lakers will sign Alex Len. To do so, they will also waive Christian Wood to make room for Len.
It appeared that Len was initially ready to sign with the Indiana Pacers after the Washington Wizards waived him. However, once the Mark Williams trade fell through, the Lakers needed another big man, and Len was willing to oblige them.
Taking a Look at the Lakers Center Depth
With Len in and Wood out, the Lakers have a new big-man rotation, though it goes without saying that none of them are as good as the since-traded Davis.
At full strength, their options are Len, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Koloko, Maxi Kleber, and Dorian Finney-Smith. However, with the new move, their current depth chart lists Len as the backup 5 behind Hayes.
Len wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire when he played for the Sacramento Kings this season. In 36 games with the Kings, he averaged 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 53.7%. The Lakers may have wanted him instead of Wood because of his availability alone.
That’s what happens with the buyout market, though. It doesn’t provide much quality in terms of big men available or really any players available. Players signed off the buyout market don’t typically factor much into a team’s playoff run.
However, in Len’s case, the opportunity will definitely be there for him to prove himself, much like it will be for the others. With LeBron James and Luka Dončić running the offense, plenty of open lobs and layups will likely come their way. Their job will just be about getting open and finishing the plays set up for them.
Is it a perfect situation? Of course not. The Lakers will likely try to get some upgrades during the offseason, but they knew the risk when they traded Davis for Dončić and will make do with what they have for now. Len’s numbers could skyrocket in what could be a very brief tenure in L.A.
All of this points to how unfortunate it is that the Williams trade was rescinded because, on paper, he would have been exactly who the Lakers needed to fill in some of the void left by Davis, even if he isn’t exactly a star. If more big men get waived in the coming weeks, expect the Lakers to come calling immediately.
