Lakers Should Trade for Brook Lopez over Jonas Valančiūnas to Help AD amid NBA Rumors

Gary Dineen/NBAE via The Los Angeles Lakers could be among the most aggressive buyers in this season's NBA trade market.

This might be head coach JJ Redick's first go-round, but the win-right-now pressure to perform is enormous.

LeBron James will be 40 in December, and Anthony Davis turns 32 a few months later. Their window to compete at a high level could close at any moment.

It's up to the front office, then, to put the best possible supporting cast around them. And it sounds like the decision-makers have already concluded (rightfully so) that this roster could use an upgrade at the center spot. As Jake Fischer relayed for BR, the Lakers' "internal board" of potential trade targets includes veteran big men Brook Lopez and Jonas Valančiūnas.

The two centers share similarities.

They are big, burly, throwback 5s with scoring skills around the basket and defensive limitations away from it. They also happen to be hooping for Eastern Conference bottom-feeders. That was to be expected with Valančiūnas's Washington Wizards, but it's been a red-alert start for Lopez's Milwaukee Bucks.

They also have some key differences, most of which make Lopez the obvious preference for the Lakers.

If L.A. pays up for a new center—either to start alongside Davis or play significant minutes off the bench—it needs someone who won't shrink the offensive end and will add protection to the team's 26th-ranked defense , per NBA.com. That's the exact unicorn role Lopez has mastered in Milwaukee. His shooting range stretches well beyond the three-point line, and he's a consistent paint presence on defense who blocks a bunch of shots and contests even more.

Valančiūnas is more your traditional mauler around the rim. He is a slick post scorer and active rebounder, but he has struggled (and not always attempted) to add volume and efficiency to his outside shot. He has also never been the type of defensive deterrent as Lopez.

In terms of play style, it feels rather indefensible to suggest Lopez is the most logical target. The only question is availability.

While Valančiūnas hit the trade block before the ink even dried on his pact with the rebuilding Wizards, Lopez is anchoring a team that is ostensibly holding championship aspirations. With that said, the Bucks posted a losing record after Doc Rivers took over midway through last season, and they've stumbled out to a disastrous 2-8 start.

That doesn't mean Milwaukee will wave the white flag any time soon—unless Giannis Antetokounmpo forces the issue —but it could mean some selective selling and roster restructuring is in the works. And if that happens, Lopez could be up for grabs. His contract only runs through this season, and he has a suitable replacement already on the roster in Bobby Portis.

That's why Lopez is worth a phone call—at least—from the Lakers. He could be gettable (if not now, then at some point ahead of the deadline), and he fills a clear need on this roster.

L.A. has been in the center market for a while, and if the start of this season changed anything with that search, it only upped the urgency.

The defense has crumbled. The Lakers had an average defense last season ( 17th in efficiency) and an elite unit when they won the 2019-20 title ( third ). With defensive sieves all along the perimeter, this club needs more reliable anchors than Davis alone.

The non-Davis options at center all have their issues. Christian Wood (knee) can't get healthy enough to play. Two-way player Christian Koloko only recently joined the active roster after being cleared by a panel of doctors after an issue with blood clots. Jaxson Hayes seems productive on the surface (12 points on 71.4 percent shooting, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference ), but the Lakers are getting skewered when he plays ( 8.1 points worse per 100 possessions with him on the floor).

This situation feels untenable, and that's before even factoring in Davis's lengthy injury history. The Lakers need another reliable big on the roster, and they'll struggle to find a better fit than Lopez—provided he makes it to the trade block.