Nets Should Partner With Lakers After First-Round Exit

The Brooklyn Nets should grab plenty of headlines this NBA offseason, not just due to the draft, but also free agency and the trade market. The Nets have plenty of pieces that other teams could use, and have the opportunity to emphasize their rebuild by selling veterans.

The NBA playoffs are a great indicator of where teams are in terms of the state of their rosters. For the Los Angeles Lakers, the most glaring problem was at the center position.

After making a blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic back in February, the Lakers then went after Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams to balance out the rotation. Unfortunately, the trade was vetoed after Williams failed his physical. From there, Los Angeles would have a center rotation of Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt.

To put this into perspective, Vanderbilt technically isn't even a center at 6-foot-8.

The biggest reason why the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs was their lack of a formidable center and poor interior defense. Rudy Gobert but up 27 points and 24 rebounds in a decisive Game 5, with Hayes not seeing the floor. The sign for an upgrade is clear.

That's where the Nets come in. Brooklyn has two formidable centers at the moment in Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe. The Lakers actually showed interest in Sharpe back before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, but nothing materialized. Claxton was also made available for the right price.