The Los Angeles Lakers have built a roster for the 2026-27 season that may not contend for the NBA championship but should definitely be competitive. Their biggest addition is center Walker Kessler, and they have serviceable backups behind him in Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
But the critics say that Looney is over the hill, perhaps based on the fact that he played 21 games and shot 41.7% from the field last season, and that Mamukelashvili isn’t capable of playing the 5 spot at a serviceable level. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, the Lakers could still be looking to add another big man to their roster.
“The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic. They traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Mamukelashvili can play the position, too. The team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding [Matisse] Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.”
When they agreed on a one-year contract with Thybulle on Monday, they were set to have 16 players on their roster. NBA teams can only have 15 players on standard contracts during the season, but they have until the start of the regular season to get down to 15 players.
Right now, the big man options for the Lakers in free agency include Nick Richards, Mason Plumlee and Kelly Olynyk. Of those three, Richards is clearly the most attractive, given his ability to rebound and block shots and his decent athleticism. However, it is unknown how much mutual interest there could be between Richards and the Lakers.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Woike: Lakers ‘are still monitoring the market for big men’
