Big Men Solve Big Problems 🏀
Size still matters in the NBA.
If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to return to relevance in the NBA news during the postseason, they need to add some size. A pairing of Luka Doncic and a 40-year-old LeBron James does not make for a super team, as the Lakers learned the hard way in a first-round loss to the Timberwolves.
Nothing was more embarrassing than in the clinching game when they let Rudy Gobert go off for 27 points and 24 rebounds – that’s a week’s worth of stats for the big Frenchman these days.
Even in a league where the 3-point shot has taken over, size still matters in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Lakers roster gave up that advantage when they gave up Anthony Davis in the Luka trade with Dallas.
For as great as Kobe Bryant was, you can’t deny that Shaquille O’Neal was the driving force behind the first three titles, and Kobe’s last two rings were thanks to the size advantage built with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. It can still work today.
🚨 Who should be the next big man in the purple & gold?
🦁 Adams
🚫 Gafford
🛡️ Lopez
🧱 Capela
📏 BolDrop your pick below 👇
Lakers to win the 2025 – 26 championships odds: +1600 🤑
It’s time to cash in ➡️ https://t.co/eC7O7imUvK#LakeShow #NBA #LakersNation pic.twitter.com/B12P6DrEry
— BetUS NBA (@BetUS_NBA) June 12, 2025
NBA rumors are already starting about which big man could join the Lakers in NBA free agency this summer. Let’s look at some top options.
Clint Capela (Hawks)
Clint Capela is set to hit free agency after a decade with the Rockets and Hawks, which means he hasn’t come very close to ever winning a ring. But if you put him at center with two of the greatest passers in NBA history, in LeBron and Luka, then he can get easy buckets while still being a high-level rebounder.
Clint Capela’s stats were down in 2024-25 because he only averaged 21.4 minutes per game. But he has made 61.7% of his field goals for his career, and he has averaged double-digit rebounds for seven years in a row from 2018 to 2024.
Per @JakeLFischer:
– Atlanta could very well (now confirmed) trade up in the draft utilizing both picks No. 13 & 22.
– Rival teams project the Hawks targeting big men in the draft.
– Clint Capela is expected to leave Atlanta in free agency.
(Via https://t.co/oH8zRHdzxy)… pic.twitter.com/03y2xDjNDk
— Hawks Lead (@HawksLead) June 12, 2025
Capela, 31, could give the Lakers some reliable rebounding and rim protection. However, he does lack outside shooting that more successful big men like Myles Turner (Pacers) and Chet Holmgren (Thunder) have, and his days as a full-time starter may be over.
He could be signed for a cheap price.
Daniel Gafford (Mavericks)
The Lakers are making a move with the Dallas Mavericks? When does that ever happen? But since they didn’t get Daniel Gafford in the Luka-Davis trade, a move here may be unlikely.
However, Gafford is a player coming into his own, and he’ll be just 27 this season. He’s already had success playing with Doncic in Dallas and was part of that run to the NBA Finals last year.
Reports say the Lakers are eyeing Dallas’ Daniel Gafford to boost their frontcourt alongside Luka Doncic—rim protection and lob threat in play! #losangeloslakers #lakernation pic.twitter.com/zlvsObGut4
— PopSportsNetwork (@PopSportsNet) June 10, 2025
The future in LA is Doncic rather than LeBron, so making sure he’s comfortable with players that fit his style well is important. Gafford could be a move they make.
Brook Lopez (Bucks)
Brook Lopez is 37 but has no plans to retire. The Bucks are unlikely to bring him back after he’s spent the last seven seasons there, really honing in on his 3-point shooting as a 7’1” center.
Lopez spent the 2017-18 season with the Lakers, a year before LeBron joined the team. He’s a better shooter now and averages a solid 15.9 points per game for his career.
Brook Lopez is the betting favorite to be the Lakers starting center on opening day next season 😳
(per Bovada) pic.twitter.com/k8AXQ8zKL8
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 28, 2025
Given the Lakers got 7 points in four games from center Jaxon Hayes in the playoffs, they’ll take anything they can get right now.
