Feb 5, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) gets by New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) for a dunk in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Lakers Urged to Zero In on Knicks Star This Offseason

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 4:38 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to try to get a better starting center in the offseason. That was clearly the biggest issue that the Lakers had in the playoffs against the Timberwolves.

Had they not failed Mark Williams' physical when they traded for him, they may have had that center. Instead, they had to rely on Jaxson Hayes as the starter.

In order to get someone who is better than Hayes this summer, the Lakers will likely have to trade for someone to fit that spot because of how little cap space they have.

There are a few guys that the Lakers could target, but one NBA pundit believes that they should reach out to Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks to take care of that issue.

Speaking on Get Up on ESPN, Alan Hahn believes that Robinson would help the Lakers fix their problems.

"If the Knicks are trying to get assets, if they’re trying to figure out what they want to do with their roster going forward, maybe even need to save money , that’s a guy the Lakers should be targeting. He would be a perfect fit on that team."

Robinson would certainly help the Lakers when it comes to shot blocking. Robinson, when heathy, is one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA. He's also one of the best rebounders.

The issue is that he isn't one of the best overall defenders. While he can protect the rim, he's not good when he has to switchout on the perimeter. In fact, teams target him when he's out there.

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Robinson is an expiring contract and will make just $12.9 million next year. It wouldn't be an issue to trade for him from Los Angeles' perspective.

Robinson's injury history complicates things. Quite frankly, it's the same issue that they had with Mark Williams and why the Lakers deicded to cancel that trade.

The Lakers still need a solution at center, even if ends up not being Robinson this summer.

This season, Robinson averaged 5.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game in just 17 regular season games.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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