When one door closes, another one opens. After an initial trade to land Charlotte big man Mark Williams fell through, the Lakers pivoted to the buyout market, signing veteran big man Alex Len Tuesday.
Free agent 7-footer Alex Len will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, agent Mike Lelchitski tells ESPN. Len intended to sign with the Pacers but has decided to land in LA after the Lakers rescinded the Mark Williams trade and created new opportunity. pic.twitter.com/pjqV5HaK4n
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
To make room for Len, the Lakers waived center Christian Wood, who was recovering from offseason knee surgery.
Lakers Sign Former Top-5 Pick to Help Center Depth
Alex Len’s Background and Fit
Len, the fifth overall pick in 2013, began his career with the Phoenix Suns as a backup center for five years. He then moved around the league from 2018 to 2021, holding stints with the Hawks, Kings, Raptors and Wizards before sticking with Sacramento for the last four years. Across 680 career games, the 7-foot, 250-pound big man has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds on .510/.322/.680 splits. He had played 31 games for the Kings this season before being traded to the Wizards, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.2 minutes per game.
After being waived by the Wizards last week, the 31-year-old planned to sign with the Indiana Pacers. However, he soon backed out of his decision while the Pacers moved on to Jahlil Okafor. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, that led to mutual interest between Len and the Lakers, and eventually, the two sides agreed to a deal.
Len will join a Lakers frontcourt in need of help in the middle. 24-year-old Jaxson Hayes is LA’s starting center going forward, but the team lacked a backup big due to the limitations of Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison (two-way contracts). Len will slide into JJ Redick’s rotation as a physical presence in the paint, which allows the team to move away from small-ball lineups. He may not boast the rocket-like athleticism Hayes has, but he provides significant strength at the five and is a solid rim-roller and paint defender. With 11 years of NBA experience, Len could also serve as an effective mentor to Hayes, Koloko and Jemison, who all continue to star in their roles for the purple and gold.
The Last Word on Alex Len to the Lakers
The Lakers have solidified a position of need as they begin a new era with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. With their full-time roster count at 14 (excluding two-way players), they have an opportunity to fill the last spot ahead of the postseason, potentially with a shooting guard.
© Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The post Lakers Sign Former Top-5 Pick to Help Center Depth appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.