The Los Angeles Lakers need another productive big man to pair with Anthony Davis, particularly someone with adequate rim-protecting capabilities.
A center like Jakob Poeltl or Jonas Valančiūnas would be a great get for LA, but there’s no guarantee that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka will be able to finalize a deal for either player.
If they continue to strike out on deals for seven-footers, the Lakers should keep an eye on John Collins of the Utah Jazz as February approaches.
At six-foot-nine and more of a power forward than a center, Collins wouldn’t be the ideal fit for Los Angeles defensively, but it’s worth noting that he’d be an excellent fit offensively in JJ Redick’s system.
Collins is an explosive athlete who would be another epic lob threat alongside Davis, which makes the Lakers very dangerous when you factor in how good Austin Reaves and LeBron James are at creating and capitalizing on alley-oop opportunities when playing with bouncy bigs.
Collins is also a legitimate three-point threat, which would give Redick another shooter in the rotation as the Lakers continue to try and up their three-point attempts per game.
Pelinka could call up Utah and start with a package of D’Angelo Russell’s expiring contract and Gabe Vincent to get the conversation started.
Russell and Vincent would clear up cap space for the Jazz this summer since they’d essentially be turning Collins’s $26.6 million (presuming he picks up his player option) into Vincent’s $11.5 million.
The Jazz would want picks, though, and that’s where negotiations would get interesting. It’s doubtful that LA would be willing to part with a first-rounder in this deal, especially considering the less-than-ideal fit that Collins represents. But would Utah walk away from the deal entirely if all they were getting was second-round draft capital in addition to the aforementioned cap space?
It’s an interesting scenario and one worth exploring if you’re Pelinka and the Lakers.
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