Lakers urged to sign $60M lob threat to replicate Luka Doncic-Dereck Lively connection

The Los Angeles Lakers have all of their attention focused on the summer, which is expected to be a major free agency period for the organization. Los Angeles is going to have the opportunity to pursue several well-known names around the league.

This offseason will reveal whether or not the front office can build a true championship contender. It is going to be a defining summer in the Luka Dončić era.

“The Lakers have a megastar in Dončić and a unique amount of potential cap space for a title hopeful this offseason. This summer will go a long way toward determining how well they can build a championship contender around Luka over the next few years,” Silver Screen and Roll’s Bryan Toporek wrote.

One of the team’s biggest needs is at center. The Lakers need to find the right fit to pair alongside Dončić. Earlier in the season, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon made it clear that many big men around the league would be eager to play with Luka in Los Angeles.

“They have the fact they’re the Los Angeles Lakers and I can just tell you, big men will do back flips to be able to be in that Lakers uniform paired with Luka. I was talking to an agent who’s got a big man who may or may not be on the move and he would love to get his guy in L.A. Big men are going to want to play with Luka that much I can assure you,” MacMahon said.

One name to watch is Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks. Dončić could potentially develop chemistry with Robinson similar to the connection he had with Dereck Lively II in Dallas.

“Robinson is the kind of center the Lakers have been missing. The front office wants a true lob threat, someone who can catch, finish, and protect the rim the way Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II do for their teams. This season, he averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and shot 72.3 percent from the field in 60 games, doing most of his damage in the paint with rim runs and offensive boards,” SI’s Javesh Pagar wrote.

Robinson would be a strong option for the Lakers because Dončić thrives when paired with a consistent rim-running big man. Robinson has no issue filling that role, as he is one of the better lob threats in the league.

Robinson is entering the final year of his $60 million contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. He is a player the Lakers should pursue aggressively. Dončić wants a dominant big man to play alongside him, and Los Angeles has not yet found the right fit at the position.

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