The Los Angeles Lakers managed to secure the third seed in the Western Conference, but that didn’t mean much in the playoffs as they were upset by the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games.
There’s no taking anything away from Minnesota’s performance, but the Lakers’ biggest weakness was impossible to ignore. They had no starting-caliber center. Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len were overmatched from the jump, and expecting either to hold their own against Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle was never realistic. That lack of size forced the Lakers into small-ball lineup that couldn’t hold up over a full series.
After the Lakers’ playoff elimination, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka confirmed their offseason priority will be finding a center. Since then, several potential targets are beginning to surface. Among them is Atlanta Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who appeared on the “Straight Fire” podcast with Jason McIntyre, the Lakers called Atlanta about the 24-year-old big man during the season. With this in mind, speculation has begun about the possibility of that call becoming relevant again in the upcoming months.
“Before the Mark Williams trade, and I can’t tell you all the names on that list but I actually assume he was one of the names on the list that Rob Pelinka presented to Luka because I do know the Lakers made a call to the Hawks around the trade deadline about Okongwu. I think lob threat, athleticism, absolutely. In terms of being a perfect fit, maybe not. They might not get a perfect fit though. Clint Capela of ’17-’18 might have been a perfect fit but we’re in ’25-’26 now. So that is kind of the spot they’re gonna be in.”
Okongwu averaged 13.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game on 56.4% shooting from the field during the season. Young, athletic, and switchable. It makes sense for the Lakers. But would Atlanta even consider picking up the phone, especially after moving him into the starting lineup over Clint Capela? Pelinka might need one more trick up his sleeve.
