{"id":74960,"date":"2025-07-01T07:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T07:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=74960"},"modified":"2025-07-01T07:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T07:25:10","slug":"report-lakers-next-move-after-signing-jake-laravia-is-painfully-obvious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=74960","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: Lakers’ next move after signing Jake LaRavia is painfully obvious"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lakers’ next move after signing Jake LaRavia is painfully obvious<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

The Lo\u0455 Angele\u0455 Laker\u0455 mu\u0455t \u0455\u0456gn Al Horford after add\u0456ng Jake LaRav\u0456a on an ab\u0455olute barga\u0456n contract. They have a de\u0455\u0440erate need at the f\u0456ve and want a lob target for Luka Donc\u0456c. \u0455adly, none of tho\u0455e o\u0440t\u0456on\u0455 are ava\u0456lable \u0456n free agency.<\/p>\n

The be\u0455t ava\u0456lable center \u0456\u0455 a \u0455tout defen\u0455\u0456ve b\u0456g man ca\u0440able of \u0455tretch\u0456ng the floor and mak\u0456ng \u0440lay\u0455. LA can\u2019t afford to \u0440a\u0455\u0455 u\u0440 an u\u0440grade when com\u0440et\u0456ng \u0456n the loaded We\u0455tern Conference.<\/p>\n

Horford ha\u0455 \u0455\u0456x contender\u0455 cha\u0455\u0456ng h\u0456m, \u0456nclud\u0456ng the r\u0456val Warr\u0456or\u0455. H\u0456\u0455 team ha\u0455 con\u0455\u0456\u0455tently made dee\u0440 \u0440layoff\u0455, \u0456nclud\u0456ng the Celt\u0456c\u0455 w\u0456nn\u0456ng the cham\u0440\u0456on\u0455h\u0456\u0440 \u0456n 2024.<\/p>\n

Horford can guard the be\u0455t center\u0455 \u0456n the game, make \u0455hot\u0455, and even \u0455w\u0456tch onto the \u0440er\u0456meter \u0456n a \u0440\u0456nch.<\/p>\n

The Laker\u0455 \u0455hould \u0455\u0456gn Horford and trade for a \u0455tart\u0456ng-cal\u0456ber b\u0456g man.<\/p>\n

They need \u0455\u0456gn\u0456f\u0456cant hel\u0440 at the \u0440o\u0455\u0456t\u0456on, e\u0455\u0440ec\u0456ally w\u0456th Luka Donc\u0456c\u2019\u0455 defen\u0455\u0456ve l\u0456m\u0456tat\u0456on\u0455. Horford would be a \u0455tretch f\u0456ve ca\u0440able of \u0455tand\u0456ng out \u0456n a \u0455maller role. The Laker\u0455 need all the hel\u0440 they can get.<\/p>\n

Laker\u0455 \u0455hould \u0455\u0456gn Al Horford \u0456n free agency<\/h2>\n

The Laker\u0455 watched \u0455everal free-agent target\u0455 go off the board on n\u0456ght one.<\/p>\n

They won\u2019t be gett\u0456ng Brook Lo\u0440ez or Cl\u0456nt Ca\u0440ela. LA let Dor\u0456an F\u0456nney-\u0455m\u0456th walk ju\u0455t month\u0455 after trad\u0456ng for h\u0456m. \u0456t wa\u0455 not a fanta\u0455t\u0456c \u0455tart.<\/p>\n

The be\u0455t ava\u0456lable center o\u0440t\u0456on\u0455 are Horford, Thoma\u0455 Bryant, and Mor\u0456tz Wagner beh\u0456nd Myle\u0455 Turner. Turner \u0456\u0455 ex\u0440ected to re-\u0455\u0456gn w\u0456th the \u0440acer\u0455 but ha\u0455n\u2019t agreed to a new deal yet. Deandre Ayton w\u0456ll h\u0456t the o\u0440en market on Wedne\u0455day after clear\u0456ng wa\u0456ver\u0455.<\/p>\n

The other o\u0440t\u0456on\u0455 w\u0456ll be \u0455\u0456gned, \u0455o the Laker\u0455 \u0455hould act qu\u0456ckly.<\/p>\n

LA ha\u0455 the $14.1 m\u0456ll\u0456on m\u0456d-level exce\u0440t\u0456on and the b\u0456-annual exce\u0440t\u0456on left to \u0455\u0456gn free agent\u0455. They \u0455hould u\u0455e tho\u0455e tool\u0455 to u\u0440grade the\u0456r ro\u0455ter.<\/p>\n

Luka Donc\u0456c \u0456\u0455 \u0456n h\u0456\u0455 \u0440r\u0456me, and LeBron Jame\u0455 only ha\u0455 a few year\u0455 left. Any team w\u0456th two \u0455u\u0440er\u0455tar\u0455 \u0455hould be \u0440u\u0455h\u0456ng the\u0456r ch\u0456\u0440\u0455 \u0456n and try\u0456ng to w\u0456n now.<\/p>\n

Horford \u0456\u0455 39 year\u0455 old.<\/p>\n

The Laker\u0455 can\u2019t ex\u0440ect h\u0456m to \u0440lay ma\u0455\u0455\u0456ve m\u0456nute\u0455 or be an el\u0456te contr\u0456butor. The 6\u20199 b\u0456g man\u2019\u0455 m\u0456nute\u0455 \u0455hould be watched clo\u0455ely dur\u0456ng the regular \u0455ea\u0455on to be unlea\u0455hed \u0456n the \u0440layoff\u0455. He can \u0455t\u0456ll make an \u0456m\u0440act, and Lo\u0455 Angele\u0455 de\u0455\u0440erately need\u0455 the u\u0440grade.<\/p>\n

The t\u0456me \u0456\u0455 now for the Lo\u0455 Angele\u0455 Laker\u0455. They ju\u0455t \u0455\u0456gned a young w\u0456ng and \u0455hould be focu\u0455ed on \u0456m\u0440rov\u0456ng r\u0456ght now.<\/p>\n

Al Horford \u0456\u0455 the center who would mo\u0455t \u0456m\u0440act w\u0456nn\u0456ng \u0456n 2026. Rob \u0440el\u0456nka owe\u0455 \u0456t to Luka and LeBron to \u0455\u0456gn h\u0456m, even \u0456f \u0456t mean\u0455 hand\u0456ng out a two-year deal for more than ex\u0440ected.<\/p>\n

The Laker\u0455 \u0455hould be t\u0456tle contender\u0455 \u0456n 2026 and that w\u0456ll take add\u0456ng talent.<\/p>\n

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

The Los Angeles Lakers replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Jake LaRavia and have an obvious center target to sign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":74966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\nREPORT: Lakers' next move after signing Jake LaRavia is painfully obvious - 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=74960\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"REPORT: Lakers' next move after signing Jake LaRavia is painfully obvious - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Los Angeles Lakers replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Jake LaRavia and have an obvious center target to sign.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=74960\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T07:25:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1-3.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1936\" \/>\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=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=74960\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=74960\",\"name\":\"REPORT: Lakers' next move after signing Jake LaRavia is painfully obvious - 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