A franchise with rich history at the center position, the Los Angeles Lakers went into the 2018-19 NBA season with JaVale McGee the only viable big man. The roster included Moritz Wagner and Ivica Zubac but each faced questions.
Wagner was recovering from a knee contusion suffered at Las Vegas Summer League and as a rookie was unlikely to provide consistent production in the early going. Zubac was coming off a season that saw him regress from his first year.
The lack of size led to the Lakers re-signing Jonathan Williams to a two-way contract days after waiving him.