The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs on their home floor in a 103-96 Game 5 loss. JJ Redick has opted to play small-ball with Dorian Finney-Smith replacing Jaxson Hayes at the center spot all series long, and that was on full display Wednesday night as the Wolves grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, an amazing 41.4% offensive rebound rate.
Rudy Gobert had half of their offensive rebounds, grabbing 9 himself and finishing the game with a playoff career-high 27 points on 12-15 shooting.
It was a dominant paint performance by the Wolves, and the Lakers' lack of a real big man was put on display. Acquiring a quality defensive center who can screen well and execute the pick-and-roll game with Luka Doncic is the clear first priority this offseason.
It was not a coincidence that Luka's first trip to the NBA Finals came after the Mavericks acquired Dereck Lively II in the draft and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline last year. Doncic excels at manipulating the roll defender to commit so he can throw the lob or to stay back so he can get his own layup, but these actions weren't happening with the Lakers due to the lack of a quality center.
The free agent market for centers this offseason includes guys like Myles Turner, Naz Reid, Brook Lopez, and Clint Capela. Capela isn't a flashy name, but similar to Gobert, he has a 7-8 year track record of providing quality defense, rebounding, and screening, and he is a lob threat next to Luka.
Another name to watch is Celtics center Luke Kornet, who has quietly had an amazing year defending the rim for the Celtics. Kornet finished the season ranked 87th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), according to dunksandthrees.com. The Celtics likely don't have the money to pay him, and he wouldn't cost the Lakers much to acquire as a free agent.
As far as options via the trade market, the two names that come to mind are Brooklyn center Nic Claxton and New York center Mitchell Robinson.
Claxton has shown flashes of defensive excellence over his 6 seasons with Brooklyn, and at the age of 26, he fits nicely with their timeline alongside Luka Doncic. Claxton addresses the need for a defensive rim-protector to cover up the rim when Luka gets beat off the dribble, and he also addresses the offensive need for a lob threat. Barring a Brooklyn trade for Giannis this offseason, the Nets will likely be a lottery team again next season, so moving Claxton for draft capital could make some sense.
Mitchell Robinson also provides a quality lob threat and could be available for cheap due to his consistent injury issues with the Knicks.
One final name for Lakers fans to consider is Steven Adams, who will be an unrestricted free agent following the end of the season. Adams has been excellent in the first round against Golden State, showing that he can still positively impact the game with his offensive rebounding. Steven Adams is leading the Rockets in net rating at +14.9. The next closest Rocket in terms of net rating is Alperen Sengun +5.6. Adams isn't the answer as a starting center for the Lakers, but is the perfect bench big to provide toughness and leadership in the locker room.
The Lakers must get a center to complement Doncic via the trade market or in free agency if they want to avoid another first-round exit next season.