Lakers offseason center targets
It’s starting to feel like the only realistic names people keep throwing around are Isaiah Hartenstein (maybe) and Mitchell Robinson. I’d love either one, but Robinson’s injury history is a real concern. And before anyone cooks me — yes, I know these aren’t starter-level moves. But old man Rob Pelinka loves bargain hunting for role players looking to expand their game.
The Lakers clearly seem to be targeting backup centers who can:
* rebound defensively
* catch lobs
* play competent defense
Some realistic names:
* Zach Collins — 6’10”, 250 lbs. Injury history, but probably in the $5–10M range. Smart two-way player, solid screener, decent positional defender, and gives more effort than DA. Not a great athlete, but serviceable rim protection (0.7 blocks per game career average) and crashes the glass (1.5 offensive rebounds in 18.9 MPG). Career 48% FG is rough though.
* Sandro Mamukelashvili — 6’9”, 240 lbs with a 2026–27 player option. Averaged 11.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.3 stocks. Played 80 games, which honestly matters a lot for this team. Undersized at center, but only 27 and fits Luka’s timeline better than older vets.
* Jericho Sims — 6’10”, 245 lbs. Athletic lob threat with a 2026–27 player option. Averaged 5.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG. Feels like the type of low-cost flyer Pelinka would actually target.