The L.A. Lakers have made it no secret that they are looking to add a big to their roster with what is looking to be their final roster spot. Although Christian Wood has reportedly been their key target for quite some time, after being waived by the Dallas Mavericks, former Laker JaVale McGee could now emerge as an option, according to NBA writer Mark Medina.

NBA news – L.A. Lakers

It is less than five weeks until NBA training camp begins, and the L.A. Lakers are still yet to fill their 14th, and most likely their final, roster spot.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, head coach Darvin Ham is still unsure of his starting five, with only LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves reported as non-negotiable starters. This means that there are two other starting spots up for grabs: the point-guard and the center position.

While it was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski at the beginning of free-agency that the LakeShow had brought back D’Angelo Russell on a two-year, $36 million deal, Dave McMenamin, also of ESPN reported that they had also added former Miami Heat guard, Gabe Vincent on a three-year, $33 million deal.

Both point-guards have been starters in the past, and while it was expected that D’Lo would be the starter for the Lakers going into the 2023-24 season, reports indicate that should Vincent make an impression in training camp, he could well steal the spot, via The Athletic.

Another position in question is the center position which was largely occupied last season by Anthony Davis, whose favored position is actually at power forward, known as the four.

The Lakers set out to find some bigs to add to the roster, picking up 7’0” footer Jaxson Hayes on a two year, $4.7 million deal, per Spotrac.

However, the SoCal team have been public with their intentions of adding further depth in that position, with reports that they want to “dimensionalize” the five spot, adding a player who offers a different skill-set to both Davis and Hayes.

Targets the Lakers have thought to have been interested in include Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo.

However, the team are only able to offer a veteran’s minimum contract, and this could pose some problems, particularly if they wanted to sign somebody like Wood who has considerably outplayed such a deal over the past few seasons.

With three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee having been waived by the Dallas Mavericks under the stretch provision, as reported by NBA insider Marc Stein, he may now emerge as a potential suitor for his former team, the Lakers.

Whether the Purple and Gold are able to sign a big man to their 14th roster spot before training camp starts, though, or whether they choose to see what is available on their training roster remains to be seen.

Will the L.A. Lakers lock up their 14th roster spot before training camp starts?

Medina has suggested that the Purple and Gold could pursue former Laker JaVale McGee, who was a part of the 2019-20 championship-winning roster, should Christian Wood choose to sign elsewhere.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “You have to keep in mind that there could be some other options.”

“JaVale McGee was just let go by Dallas, the Lakers have history with him. Maybe they re-sign him at a team friendly deal, or maybe they just say: ‘you know what, let's see what we get in training camp. If we find a guy on our training camp roster, that's pretty good’.”

“But I think for the Lakers, they would much prefer having that spot solidified before camp starts, and dealing with a more proven player than a training camp invitee. So I think that it would be the Lakers' preference - to have Christian Wood on their team, but the reality is they can only offer him a veteran's minimum deal.”

How does JaVale McGee compare with Christian Wood?

Despite both Wood and McGee playing predominantly at the center position, they both offer different skill-sets to an NBA roster.

Whereas 6’9” Wood is more of a modern center with stretch-five capabilities, McGee, who stands at 7’0”, barely steps outside the paint, and is much more of a shot blocker due to his size and larger frame.

Both players spent last season with the Dallas Mavericks, but their respective roles on the team differed greatly. As per Statmuse, 35-year-old McGee contributed only 8.5 minutes per game, averaging 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.6 blocks on 64% field goal shooting.

On the other hand, Wood played a much larger role, contributing 25.9 minutes per game. While on the court, the 27-year-old averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 51.5% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point line, something with which McGee does not offer in his skillset.

Although Medina believes that the Lakers would much prefer to have Christian Wood on their roster, veteran JaVale McGee has now emerged as a legitimate target, and if the Lakers chose to go down that route, they would already know what to expect from him due to his previous tenure with the Purple and Gold.

The ball lies firmly in the court of the L.A. Lakers, and whether they decide to make a move for either player, or wait until training camp to see what is on offer there, is solely up to them. All we as fans can do, is wait.