Of all the centers the Los Angeles Lakers are looking into, former Bull Joakim Noah could be one of the best options to fill certain roles.
The former Chicago Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah is seemingly getting interest in his services from the upstart Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference at the moment. As a former rival of LeBron James when he was in the Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, Noah might be becoming a teammate of his with the Lakers soon enough.
The main reason that the Lakers are looking into centers on the free agent market all of a sudden is the news of the torn ACL to former Golden State Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins.
But this will be a tough move for the Lakers since the free agent market mostly dried up completely by the end of the month of July. Noah was still available, and somewhat surprisingly so, but he likely couldn’t handle a role with heavy minutes at this point of his NBA career. A role that has him playing in 10-15 minutes per game at the most could be good for him, though.
The Lakers have been patient in approach since Cousins' injury, and another accomplished veteran center on the market is Joakim Noah. Howard is expected to be eventually released by Memphis. https://t.co/mvLx2jsS8Q
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 18, 2019
Yet, the report that the Lakers are looking into Noah as a potential option to fill the void left by the injured Cousins came from the Twitter timeline of Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Lakers are expected to request permission soon to speak to Dwight Howard and there's mutual interest between the eight-time All-Star and L.A. in wake of DeMarcus Cousins' torn ACL, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 18, 2019
Another report from Charania on Twitter showed that a former Lakers center from back in the day, Dwight Howard, could be a target. Howard was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies promptly after he was traded there from the Washington Wizards.
Sources: Lakers planning individual workouts to evaluate centers Joakim Noah, Dwight Howard and Mo Speights this week in Los Angeles. Another consideration currently overseas: Marcin Gortat. Lakers want a window into physical condition and mindset of a potential addition.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 20, 2019
Two other centers the Lakers are reportedly looking into include another former Warriors big man Mo Speights and a former Wizards big Marcin Gortat. All four of the aforementioned big men the Lakers could workout and potentially sign are veterans that would have trouble filling a starting role on a championship level team out West.
The Lakers will have a hard time competing if either Howard, Noah, Speights, or Gortat, is their go-to option. Searching out the trade market or digging deeper on the free agent market could be a good move for them.
Of the four centers the Lakers are seeking out, Howard looks like the best option to fill a starting role. If he gets rejuvenated in a second stint in Los Angeles, he could play quality minutes on a cheap contract. But that is still a long shot for the Lakers. If there is a solid starting option that won’t make Joakim Noah play all that many minutes, slotting him with the Lakers is a great move.