One of the more shocking developments of the Los Angeles Lakers' 2025 offseason was the news that center Alex Len had found a new landing spot. The veteran center joined the Lakers last season after the Anthony Davis trade left the franchise beyond desperate to find any size. Len's impact was notable in the fact that he was such a complete mess, as it looked as if the game had passed by the big man, who's been stuck in free agency all summer.
On Tuesday, New York Post's Stefan Bondy reported that Len has been signed to a training camp deal with the New York Knicks. It is a shock to see the former Laker find any team willing to take a chance after the performance he put together down the stretch of the season.
Perhaps the Knicks front office opted not to watch West Coast games and missed just what a complete mess Len was in the 2024-25 season. While this is tongue-in-cheek, it is genuinely baffling how the ex-Lakers center has landed a new deal.
Former Lakers C Alex Len Joins Knicks Before NBA Preseason
Even though it's only a training camp opportunity, one could argue that Len's spot would be better utilized for a young, unknown player or a wildcard who has the potential to contribute to the bottom of the rotation. When Len was at the peak of his powers, he was still best as a rotational center, with his best years coming with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018-19 season, where he averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game on .494/.363/.658 splits.
A big part of that success was due to the fact that Trae Young was masterful at setting up lob threats. While lobbing isn't at the top of Len's skill set, Young was able to elevate the bench piece into a viable starting or rotational option. This is the only time in Len's career that there has been a consistent level of production, and his inability to have similar success with LeBron James and Luka Doncic is telling.
While L.A. fans will wish Len the best in New York, it would be genuinely shocking to see this end with the Knicks having an active roster spot held for a center you never want to see on the floor. Even after the signing, this is still likely the end of what has been an average career, and that wouldn't surprise any Lakers fans after his stint in Los Angeles.