Lakers Rumors: Trade for Center Eyed amid Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood Injuries

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly exploring a trade for a center as Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood continue recovering from offseason procedures, ESPN analyst Shams Charania said Thursday on NBA Today.

"Sources tell me the Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center, to their roster," he said. "Not sure exactly when that will take place, but they have started looking into the marketplace."

Vanderbilt's status for the Lakers' Oct. 22 season opener is in question after he missed training camp and the preseason following procedures on each of his feet, while Wood is expected to miss Game 1 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in September.

That leaves the Lakers' center depth chart thin behind starter Anthony Davis. At the moment Jaxson Hayes, who averaged 4.3 points in 12.5 minutes per night as a backup for Davis, is the only other roster player available for the season opener.

Colin Castleton, who made 16 NBA appearances last season, and rookie Armel Traore are both on two-way contracts with the G League's South Bay Lakers and could be called up to fill in the depth chart.

Another potential two-way option is Christian Koloko, who last played for the Toronto Raptors in 2022-23 before he was sidelined with a blood clot issue and signed with the Lakers in September.

However, L.A. head coach JJ Redick told reporters last week that Koloko has not yet been cleared to play.

Charania said that he and ESPN's Dave McMenamin had heard that Lakers team doctors "felt confident" the 24-year-old would be cleared, but that the clearance is "still an ongoing process."

Koloko's status will "be a major factor to keep an eye on" regarding the Lakers' decision to trade for more center depth, Charania concluded.

Redick has said multiple times since his hiring that he would like to be able to give Davis minutes at power forward, something the star has reportedly been asking his organization to grant him for years.

The Lakers coach told reporters earlier this week that playing the nine-time All-Star as a power forward would allow the team to use his switching abilities on perimeter players, per The Athletic's Jovan Buha.

That scheme would involve slotting in Hayes at the 5 and likely necessitate more center depth than the Lakers currently have on the roster.

If Redick wants to achieve his goal of implementing Davis' skills at power forward while Wood and Vanderbilt are still unable to play, the first-year head coach may want to convince general manager Rob Pelinka to make the center move he is reportedly considering.