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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for a center to round out the roster, and it appears they have some targets.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that the team is looking at Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo as potential candidates to be added in free agency.
Pelinka spoke to reporters and said building depth at the position is a top priority.
“I think sizing up the skills at that position is important,” Pelinka said. “That’s why we don’t want to sign somebody who mimics the skills that Jaxson Hayes has. So if we can diversify the big position and have different looks, that’s good.”
Buha reported that the team is looking to reverse their strategy to deal with heavy big-man usage from the 2019-20 NBA championship season.
“The hope is that the athletic 7-foot Hayes can complement Davis the way Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee did at the time,” Buha wrote.
Biyombo averaged 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 61 games for the Phoenix Suns in 2022-23, while Wood was more productive with 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the Dallas Mavericks in 22-23. .
The main difference between the two players comes with salary, as Biyombo commands a much lower salary than Wood. Still. Depth at the position will be crucial for the team to advance to the postseason in 2023-24.
