The Lakers may not need to look far if they want one more frontcourt piece to help unlock Luka Doncic.
In a proposed trade from Adam Ahmed of Heavy Sports, Los Angeles would bring in veteran center Brook Lopez from the Clippers. The deal would send Jaden Hardy and a 2031 second-round pick belonging to the Washington Wizards to the Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Brook Lopez
Los Angeles Clippers receive: Jaden Hardy, 2031 Washington Wizards second-round pick
There’s no indication the two teams are actually talking about a deal, but the basketball logic is easy to see. The Lakers have already added Walker Kessler, and Lopez would give them a very different kind of center behind him.
Last season, Lopez averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 42.8% from the field and 36.0% from three. At 38, he still brings a rare mix of rim protection and perimeter shooting.
That combination has defined the back half of his career. Lopez once held the NBA record for most three-pointers made by a seven-footer, knocking down 187 in the 2018-19 season before Lauri Markkanen broke it. He has also had multiple seasons with at least 100 threes and 100 blocks, a blend that would fit neatly next to Doncic.
Doncic has always worked well with centers who can operate around the basket in pick-and-roll, but Lopez would add another wrinkle. He can stretch opposing bigs away from the rim, creating more room for drives and making it harder for defenses to crowd the paint.
That matters for a Lakers team trying to maximize Doncic’s game. Lopez would not need a huge role either, since Kessler is expected to start.
Instead, he could give J.J. Redick 15 to 20 minutes a night and offer a different look at center.
The money also lines up cleanly. Lopez is due $9.8 million next season and then becomes a free agent. In the proposal, the Lakers would only give up Hardy and one second-round pick.
Hardy, meanwhile, would be the piece heading out. He came to Los Angeles in the Deandre Ayton trade this offseason and averaged 9.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists last season with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards, shooting 42.4% from the field and 39.7% from deep.
He is on a three-year, $18 million contract, with a $6 million salary next season and a $6 million team option for 2027-28.
For the Lakers, parting with a young shooter would matter because their trade inventory is thin. They own Washington’s second-rounders in 2028, 2031, and 2032, their own second-round pick in 2033, and have very limited first-round flexibility. That makes every asset count.
Still, if the Lakers think Lopez can help right away, this is the kind of move that could make sense. They’ve already spent the offseason building around Doncic and Austin Reaves, adding Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and others.
Lopez would bring veteran experience and maybe the team’s most dangerous shooting threat at center. For a Lakers team looking to squeeze every bit out of Luka’s offense, that would be a pretty tempting final touch.
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