What a week it has been for the Los Angeles Lakers; there was that out-of-nowhere blockbuster in which they traded Anthony Davis in a deal to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. Then they traded virtually all of the remaining assets in a deal for 23-year-old big man Mark Williams.
However, after the trade deadline, Williams failed to pass a physical, resulting in the deal being rescinded. Without Williams, the Lakers can't cobble together a solid center rotation.
After all, with them and being above the first tax apron, they aren't able to sign any buyout candidate who made more than the mid-level exception. In years past, the Lakers would have been a destination for veterans looking to ring chase.
However, the new CBA prevents such occurrences and drastically limits their options. As a result, they may have to continue on with Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko, and Christian Wood whenever he makes a season debut.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a big problem on their hands after the Mark Williams debacle.
That is a gut punch for a Lakers team that was flying high after pulling a rabbit out of their hat and acquiring a top-three player for a middling trade package. Now, their ceiling is potentially a first-round exit depending on their seeding luck.
Their front line, as currently constituted, simply can't compete against teams that have terrific big men, including the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic. They have been dominated by the Nuggets, even with Davis, who is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Without him, the Lakers absolutely don't stand a chance of stopping him.
To their credit, they do have Doncic, who is capable of swinging a playoff series in his team's favor, and LeBron James, who can still take over quarters and even games even at the age of 40. Nevertheless, the Lakers appear to be headed for a disappointing finish even after landing a potential franchise cornerstone.
They can field a solid starting five around LeBron and Doncic with them also joined by Austin Reeves and Dorian Finney-Smith in the starting lineup. Hayes is clearly the weak link in their starting five, and they will have to cobble together 48 minutes of passable play at center.
That isn't impossible for them to do with whatever they can get from the center spot being more of a bonus. Even so, they will have a big problem—see what I did there—once they go against a skilled center, particularly in the playoffs.