After the failed trade of Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team went with veteran center Alex Len to bolster their frontcourt. In the meantime, the Lakers waived injured Christian Wood in order to sign Len.
Len, 31, began the season with the Sacramento Kings but was later repositioned to the Washington Wizards team in February. His numbers were low with just 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds on average in 36 games he played for the Kings the initial part of the season.
But he did bring to the team a new stature, a defensive presence, and a win over the bench, which helped to hold the fourth party in the Western Conference in a fairly good place.
Len was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of a three-team deal shortly before the NBA trade deadline, but the Wizards decided to -negotiate his contract once again thus allowing him to become a free agent. The original plan for the Lakers was to send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and draft picks to the Charlotte Hornets in return for Mark Williams, but the trade fell through.
Because Dalton Knecht failed his physical, the trade was nullified, and the Lakers had to look for another player to fill the empty spot. In their quest to remain competitive, the Lakers had only a few alternatives in the free-agent market. They decided to give the chance to Len, who is seven feet tall and is experienced in the NBA.
Jovan Buha, the team insider, has stated that the signing of Len is indicative of the Lakers’ resolution of the frontcourt depth issues post the Anthony Davis deal. Since the trade of Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Dončić, the Lakers have not been successful in either the rebounding or the blocking of the opponent’s shots.
The Lakers officially announce the Alex Len signing: pic.twitter.com/LbiE2Qg9RN
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 11, 2025
Although it may be inconvenient that he is not scoring much, Len is still an important player in the rotation of Lakers for his versatile defense. Also, the Lakers are interested in signing Andre Drummond. They waived Christian Wood, who has been recovering from knee surgery, to make room for Andre Drummond.
Wood averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 50 games last season, but he was not able to come out as a regular member of the starting lineup. The Lakers are currently holding the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference with a 32-19 record. Luka Dončić’s first match with the team was an impressive one that led to a win.
Nonetheless, The Lakers also will bring in Len hoping that his size, expertise, and defense will give them stabilization in the paint for their playoff run.
