{"id":72681,"date":"2025-06-24T07:53:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T07:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681"},"modified":"2025-06-24T07:53:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T07:53:59","slug":"breaking-lakers-predicted-to-trade-for-7-foot-1-former-all-star-amid-strained-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rob<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 search for a center to pair with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 could lead them to one of his former teammates.<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report\u2019s Dan Favale predicts that the Lakers would trade for either Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II or Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody knows the Los Angeles Lakers need centers. Plural. The mini mid-level exception of $5.7 million might get them one, but a bigger splash will require taking to the trade market, where they can dangle Dalton Knecht, short-term salary, one first-round pick (2031) and up to four swaps (2026, 2028, 2030, 2032),\u201d Favale wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n

Among the three of Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s former running mates, Favale ranked the 21-year-old Lively on top of as the ideal Lakers center. But he\u2019d cost more. On top of that, there is skepticism that th\u00a0Dallas Mavericks\u00a0will trade with the Lakers again in the immediate future after the backlash they received in the Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the 29-year-old Porzi\u0146\u0123is, whom Favale predicts would be the easiest to get among them.<\/p>\n

\u201cPorzi\u0146\u0123is and Don\u010di\u0107 never quite figured it out during their time together in Dallas. But the former is at a different point in his career and has already noted he holds no ill will towards his former teammate,\u201d Favale wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n

Porzi\u0146\u0123is-Don\u010di\u0107 Fallout in Dallas<\/h2>\n

The\u00a0Boston Celtics\u00a0center played with Don\u010di\u0107 for two-and-a-half seasons in Dallas. Differing styles and Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 health issues contributed to the fallout between the two European talents.<\/p>\n

Porzi\u0146\u0123is could not put a finger on why it didn\u2019t work out in Dallas for him and Don\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just wasn\u2019t perfect for us playing together, and it didn\u2019t work out,\u201d\u00a0the 7-foot-1 Latvian center said\u00a0during the 2024 NBA Finals. \u201cAnd that\u2019s it. There\u2019s no ill will, I don\u2019t think from their side. For sure, [there is not] from my side. I don\u2019t think there should be. It just didn\u2019t work out\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why it didn\u2019t work out. We were still both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn\u2019t work. So we moved on.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A this stage of their careers, the former All-Star Porzi\u0146\u0123is have come to accept he\u2019s now just a role player. Can it be sweeter the second time around with Don\u010di\u0107 if the Lakers trade for him?<\/p>\n

Celtics \u2018Most Movable Vet\u2019<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"Kristaps<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Getty<\/span>Kristaps Porzingis and Dereck Lively II during Game Two of the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With Jayson Tatum set to miss most, if not the whole next season due to his Achilles injury, the Celtics are projected to enter a gap year and make significant changes to a roster that has a staggering $500 million payroll, including luxury tax penalties.<\/p>\n

One of those moves could involve Porzi\u0146\u0123is, who was a non-factor in the Celtics\u2019 abruptly halted playoff run, NBA insider Marc Stein reported in May, following the Celtics\u2019 second-round exit.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost rival teams continue to regard Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is as the most movable Boston vet thanks to the Latvian big man\u2019s $30.7 million expiring contract,\u201d\u00a0Stein wrote on the \u201cThe Stein Line\u201d Substack newsletter.<\/p>\n

The 7-foot-1 center played a pivotal role in his first season with the Celtics last year, which ended in Boston\u2019s 18th championship.<\/p>\n

However, a mysterious respiratory illness rendered him ineffective in this dispirited Celtics playoff run, particularly in their second-round loss to the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n

Lakers\u2019 Trade Talks<\/h2>\n

The Lakers have been actively seeking a trade for a center with leftover resources they have after trading for Don\u010di\u0107 at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Anthony Irwin of Clutchpoints, the Lakers have held trade talks for three centers on the market this offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cSources close to the team reiterated that the internal plan is to trade for their starting center \u2013 sources say they\u2019ve held conversations with other teams about\u00a0Nic Claxton,\u00a0Robert Williams,\u00a0Walker Kessler\u00a0and others \u2013 then, ideally, use the taxpayer midlevel on his backup \u2013Brook Lopez\u00a0and\u00a0Clint Capela\u00a0are the two names most often linked to the Lakers,\u201d Irwin wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a solid plan that they\u2019re considered likely to be able to execute. But, because of their clear and desperate need at the position, such an approach is going to be a lot more complicated than it would\u2019ve been had they not neglected the position the past couple of seasons.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No trade talks yet have been reported linking the Lakers to Porzi\u0146\u0123is.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 search for a center to pair with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 could lead them to one of his former teammates. Bleacher Report\u2019s Dan Favale predicts… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72685,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 search for a center to pair with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 could lead them to one of his former teammates. Bleacher Report\u2019s Dan Favale predicts...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsThao\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681\",\"name\":\"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png\",\"width\":760,\"height\":760},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0\",\"name\":\"MsThao\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsThao\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365","og_description":"The Los Angeles Lakers\u2018 search for a center to pair with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 could lead them to one of his former teammates. Bleacher Report\u2019s Dan Favale predicts...","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":760,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MsThao","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsThao","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681","name":"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png","datePublished":"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-24T07:53:59+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2-56.png","width":760,"height":760},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=72681#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"BREAKING: Lakers Predicted to Trade for 7-Foot-1 Former All-Star Amid Strained Past"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bd62b4f1523cc864d4f4e151cc009bc0","name":"MsThao","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/38555279c6b6b7febdf09c87b184059dc428484397a9d8d577024da5d6e35287?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsThao"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72681"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72687,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72681\/revisions\/72687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/72685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}