The Lakers are reportedly interested in bringing LeBron James' former teammate Kevin Love to Los Angeles as a supporting big man to Anthony Davis.
According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers could be interested in signing Kevin Love this offseason. What would this mean for the Lakers going forward? What kind of role could Kevin Love have on the team that made the Western Conference semifinals?
The Lakers are coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance after being the No. 13 team in the West midway through the season. They ended up trading Russell Westbrook and other pieces in order to make the needed youth upgrades which allowed the team to make a deep playoff run.
The Lakers are coming into this offseason expecting to keep two of their major starters in Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura even though they are expected to hit free agency. They need to fill out some parts of their bench including a ball-handler and a backup center.
Love is coming off a season as a very good contributor for the Heat on their way to the NBA Finals. He wasn't really playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers before he got bought out by the team but was able to produce once he got to Miami. The Suns are also a team that could be interested in signing Love this offseason.
What could signing Kevin Love mean for the Lakers?
Signing Kevin Love would be a really good move for L.A. He would be coming off the bench but he will could be a great backup center option for this team. Love would give the Lakers a small ball option for the team during the playoffs.
He can probably even start games in the regular season for the Lakers. Yes, they will end up losing the edge on the center but it will keep from Anthony Davis playing there.
AD does not like playing center and had voiced his criticism of playing the position in the past. He is also a player who is seriously injury-prone.
Being able to avoid the rigors of the center position would help a lot to make sure the All-NBA big man avoids longer-term injury. Love would most likely be getting a minimum deal from the Lakers but he could be able to produce very well for Los Angeles.