Lakers Emerge as Top Landing Spot for East All-Star Big Man

The Los Angeles Lakers needed a center who could help them in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, they were stuck with Jaxson Hayes as their starter.

Hayes just wasn't good enough to stop the Wolves from driving into the paint at will. He wasn't a good enough rebounder to keep Rudy Gobert off the glass, either.

This summer, the Lakers will be looking around to find a center who can better fit their team. Ideally, they get a center that can defend the rim and grab a ton of rebounds.

Los Angeles has been linked to a center who plays for one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference if they decide to make a massive splash.

Bleacher Report has linked Karl-Anthony Towns in what would be a blockbuster offseason trade. Towns just spent his first year in New York with the Knicks and played pretty well.

Towns was one of the offensive forces for the Knicks in the playoffs, helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They eventually fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

The only reason why the Knicks would look to trade Towns is that they are about to have a new coach. Perhaps that coach has a different philosophy, so they might have to look at moving him.

If the Lakers were to make a trade for Towns, it would be the only trade they'd be able to make this summer. A trade for him would take all of their future assets up because of Towns' massive contract.

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Towns is not the kind of player that the Lakers need. They don't need more scorers; they need more defense. They have plenty of offense between LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves.

Adding Towns doesn't improve the Lakers enough on the defensive end of the court. They need a center who can protect the rim, grab rebounds, and catch lobs from Doncic.

In his first season with the Knicks, Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.

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