It is the worst-kept secret in the NBA that the Los Angeles Lakers will trade for a center this offseason. The lack of rim protection and physical presence in the paint was LA's downfall in the postseason, and it will be GM Rob Pelinka's top priority this summer.
The Lakers' salary structure won't allow them to be active in free agency. They can sign lower-level free agents and fill out the roster with veterans, but any big splash has to come on the trade market.
Arguably, the Lakers need to add two quality centers to really feel good about their frontcourt depth. One of those centers could be Jonas Valančiūnas of the Sacramento Kings.
It has previously been reported that the Lakers were interested in Valančiūnas last offseason and that LeBron James would be willing to take a pay cut for him. The Lithuanian bruiser eventually ended up signing for the Wizards for a three-year, $30 million contract. At the trade deadline, he was moved to Sacramento and had a role as the backup center behind Domantas Sabonis.
Valančiūnas still has two more years on his contract. Even though he is not a starting-caliber big man at this stage of his career, he would be a good fit in LA as a big body who brings scoring, rebounding, and physicality off the bench.
The Lakers can acquire Valančiūnas by moving Jarred Vanderbilt to the Kings. Vando is younger and has some upside, but he is not a seamless fit with the Lakers. His lack of shooting and offensive ability creates spacing problems. These issues will be less of a concern in Sacramento, which has a ton of offensive creation between Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk. Vanderbilt can act as a defensive specialist to guard multiple positions there.
Valančiūnas will not solve all of the Lakers' problems. He is slow-footed and a liability on the defensive end. In short spurts against bench units, however, he can be quite effective. Considering how little the Lakers get out of Vanderbilt, this would be a worthy gamble.