The NBA’s recent COVID-19 outbreak has desperate teams nabbing every worthwhile free agent, so it’s not as though the Lakers can easily look to the free-agent pool to find a replacement center while Davis recovers for the next month or so.
Given the COVID situation that the entire league is facing right now, teams very well might decide to hoard their players and eschew trades entirely until they can more comfortably rely on their players to be available.
Even if they would, it’s worth noting that Robinson recently fired Rich Paul as his agent, so whatever influence Klutch Sports holds in the front office would likely be used against him, and he’s having arguably his worst season as a pro after gaining 20 pounds in the offseason.
Robinson probably couldn’t play alongside Davis and Russell Westbrook given his very traditional offensive role as a non-shooting roller and rebounder, but if he recaptures his old defensive form, he could make a world of difference on that end of the floor.
The Kings are so bogged down by the COVID protocols that they’re likely at least a week away from even considering a deal, but if they aren’t going to use Jones, grabbing a draft pick for him makes plenty of sense.
The Wizards, for instance, helped them create max cap space in 2020, so the Lakers turned around and helped them land Spencer Dinwiddie in 2021 without getting anything in return.
The Magic are his fourth NBA team, and though his role is minor, it’s been fairly consistent, and with his brother Franz in place as a core piece of Orlando’s future, the Magic probably wouldn’t deal him for scraps.
He has untapped mobility defensively, so while he may not be much of a rim protector, Frank Vogel could surely find some more creative schematic uses for him.
His role has steadily shrunk all season, and now in his 30s, there’s no telling how much he actually has left to contribute to a winning team.
But the best version of Dieng can play with Westbrook and Davis on the floor, and there just aren’t that many bargain-basement centers that can say that.
Jason Kidd may be using Kristaps Porzingis at power forward more than Rick Carlisle ever did, but that doesn’t mean he needs all of his centers.
Cauley-Stein’s mobility and verticality probably make him the most appealing of the three, but if they want to keep using small bench lineups with both James and Westbrook taking advantage of maximized spacing, Marjanovic could at least create some shots in the minutes they need to rest.