Despite the buzz surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ blockbuster midseason trade for Luka Dončić, the team remains a work in progress. Their flaws were on full display during the postseason, as the Minnesota Timberwolves swiftly eliminated them in five games, exposing the roster’s ongoing structural issues.
Since LeBron James arrived in 2018, the Lakers have consistently shown a willingness to recalibrate the roster aggressively, often in pursuit of star power or positional balance. This summer appears to be no different. According to The Athletic‘s Jovan Buha, the Lakers are exploring realistic upgrades that could fill two of their most glaring holes: starting center and wing.
Heat Trade Could Set Up Los Angeles Lakers With Andrew Wiggins
Speaking during a YouTube Q&A, Buha pointed to two potential targets—Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton and Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins—as “the best realistic players the Lakers could get.”
While neither player is a free agent, both could be attainable via trade. Claxton, an athletic, defensive-minded big, is entering the second year of a four-year deal with the Nets. He hasn’t quite matched his Defensive Player of the Year-caliber form from 2023, but remains one of the league’s more mobile and disruptive centers. Wiggins, meanwhile, is under contract through next season with a player option in 2027. Though inconsistent in recent years, he still carries the cachet of his 2022 championship run with Golden State and could benefit from a change of scenery.
Buha emphasized the fit both players could offer the Lakers’ starting unit:
“If you can get Claxton as your starting center and Wiggins as your starting three, and you still have LeBron, Austin [Reaves], and Luka, I really like that starting five together,” he said.
Any deal for Claxton or Wiggins would likely come at the cost of depth, but for a Lakers team with limited flexibility and aging stars, the logic is clear: prioritize high-end starting talent to maximize what’s left of the LeBron window.
Intriguingly, Wiggins’ potential availability may be tied to broader league developments. If the Miami Heat succeed in acquiring Kevin Durant—a scenario recently discussed by ESPN’s Shams Charania—Wiggins could be part of the outgoing package. In such a situation, a third team like the Lakers could emerge as a salary-matching destination, particularly if the Suns’ focus in a Durant trade is financial relief rather than acquiring win-now talent.
In short, the Lakers appear poised to be opportunistic once again. Though their 2024-25 campaign ended in disappointment, their front office is already exploring ways to turn an imbalanced roster into a contending one. With targeted moves for players like Claxton and Wiggins, L.A. could take a meaningful step toward solving its puzzle—and build a starting five that balances star power with cohesion.