The Lakers’ search for a center is going to be another wide-ranging one this offseason. After attempting to find a discount solution last offseason in Deandre Ayton, the team still needs a long-term answer.
Given their cap space and the draft picks available, the pool of players should be larger this time around. Included in that could be one of the few players still playing.
Mitchell Robinson has blossomed into one of the vital pieces of the Knicks’ rotation. The big man is one of the league’s best
offensive rebounders and a tremendous lob threat.
It makes sense why the Lakers would be interested.
Robinson is set for free agency. While it would make sense for the Knicks to keep an important piece of their team after a Finals run, a big pay day could lure him away from New York.
In a recent piece on Substack, NBA reporter Jake Fischer talked about Robinson’s free agency and linked the Lakers to him.
“Teams regularly relayed to me when I’ve asked around about Robinson’s status have pointed to the Bulls, Hornets, Lakers and Raptors. Those are all clubs known to be looking for center upgrades.”
Now, this wording is pretty vaguely, and probably intentionally so. It barely crosses the line of reporting. This could simply be chatter around the league and all of them are assuming the Lakers would be interested.
Even if that’s the case, it makes sense to link the two. His modest stat line of 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds does not tell the whole story. His offensive rebound rate of 23.9% dwarfs those of Deandre Ayton (11.5%) and Jaxson Hayes (10%). He also amassed 97 dunks in 60 games,
The biggest issue for him is availability. The 60 games he played this year are more than he played in any of the last three years. Between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, he played a combined 48 games.
There are some big question marks about him. When he plays, he’s extremely impactful. But that doesn’t come all that frequently in most seasons.
Still, in the right situation, would it be worth a risk for the Lakers?
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
