Los Angeles Lakers: Three centers to know for the 2019 NBA Draft
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers need to address the center position this offseason with one of the best methods being the 2019 NBA Draft.
After trading Ivica Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers for practically nothing, the Los Angeles Lakers are without a real plan at the center position. Well, without a plan is a bit unfair to say, but as it stands right now the Lakers do not have any centers on the roster locked down for next season.
The one exception to that would be Mortiz Wagner if you even consider him a center. He has the size to play center but did not really play much his rookie year, so relying on just him would be foolish.
Zubac is gone and both JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler are on expiring contracts. While the team will likely re-sign one of the two, or at least they should, the process should not stop there as the Lakers need more depth than one veteran.
There is a legit chance that the Lakers sign a different free agent center this offseason to help bolster the depth, which would not be a bad idea. However, it is just as likely that the Lakers use their first-round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to address the thinnest part of the roster.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the 11th-best odds in the 2019 NBA Draft with a 9.4 percent chance at a top-four pick and a two percent chance at the first overall pick.
The chances of the Lakers making that huge leap are slim to none, so assuming they have the 11th-overall pick, here are three centers you should remember as the draft season heats up.