The Los Angeles Lakers have a glaring weakness at the center position.
After the surprise trade of the century sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Dončić, the Lakers struggled to find a reliable big man to anchor their frontcourt for the rest of 2024-25.
Jaxson Hayes provided admirable effort at times, but Hayes doesn't provide the consistent rim protection and rebounding needed to complement LeBron James and Dončić in championship fashion.
The team’s first-round playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed their frontcourt deficiency.
General manager Rob Pelinka, in his postseason remarks, vowed to address roster gaps, with a true center topping the priority list.
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As the 2025 offseason approaches, ESPN analyst Alan Hahn, on a recent episode of Get Up, proposed a bold solution for the Lake Show: target a key New York Knicks big man.
“If the Knicks are trying to get assets, if they’re trying to figure out what they want to do with their roster going forward, maybe even need to save money -- (Mitchell Robinson is) a guy the Lakers should be targeting,” Hahn said.
“He would be a perfect fit on that team.”
But would the Knicks be willing to move on from Robinson, who was instrumental in New York's recent playoff run?
That could depend on what the Knicks decide to do with Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been popping up everywhere in trade rumors himself.
In a world where New York was open to trading Robinson, the Lakers would surely do everything possible to snag him. Robinson's rim protection and rebounding would bolster a Lakers defense that struggled mightily in transition and on the boards.
Robinson has been a key player for the Knicks in his seven seasons in the NBA, whether he has come off the bench or been in their starting lineup. He has career averages of 7.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 24.1 minutes a game.
Robinson is also injury-prone. He has played in just 337 games in seven seasons, and over the last two seasons, he has appeared in only 48 contests.
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