The NBA’s summer transaction cycle is underway, and on Monday night, just hours before the start of the NBA draft, two trades went down, including one that will send future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat.
The Los Angeles Lakers, according to multiple reports, have had interest in snagging 22-year-old seven-footer Kel’el Ware, a center Miami is sending to Milwaukee in return for Antetokounmpo. In general, it has been believed around the league that Los Angeles will be very active in looking to upgrade at the 5 spot.
The team won’t have much salary cap flexibility, as it is looking to re-sign several of its current key players who can or will become free agents at the end of the month. Therefore, it will have to get creative, and according to one report by Colin Martin of SportsNet New York, it is looking into an under-the-radar option: Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Multiple teams, including the Lakers, have reached out to the Pelicans about Yves Missi, but the Pelicans have resisted those offers,” Martin wrote.
Missi, who is 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds, may not be a starting-level defensive center by NBA standards, but he could make a very nice backup for the Lakers, provided they have a qualified starter in the middle. This season, his second in the league, he averaged 5.7 points on 54.4% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 19.7 minutes a game.
He is very athletic and can run the floor and jump high, which means he could thrive next to Luka Doncic as a defensive-minded, rim-running lob threat. Missi has a team option for the 2026-27 campaign at $3.5 million.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers have reportedly called Pelicans about Yves Missi
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
