Perhaps the one overlooked detail of the Los Angeles Lakers’ big-time acquisition of Luka Doncic has been the inclusion of Maxi Kleber.
While everyone has their eyes and attention towards Luka Doncic and how the Lakers managed to pull it off out of Rob Pelinka’s astonishment, Maxi Kleber meanwhile has been an intriguing one to consider as well.
The veteran big man, who arrived in the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Doncic and Markieff Morris, has been a solid versatile center throughout his career. With his size, frame, and mobility, he is capable of guarding all five positions from guards to centers.
As such, he is also a reliable player at the offensive end who can stretch the floor with respectable efficiency, tallying a career rate of 35.4 percent from three-point territory.
For 7 ½ seasons in the Dallas Mavericks, Kleber established himself as a reliable role player and a well-known supporting act behind Doncic.
And now, he’ll bring his skill set and experience in LA with the Slovenian phenom at his side.
Former NBA star Jeff Teague is impressed with what Kleber can bring to the table. And in his Club 520 Podcast, he applauded how the Lakers have managed to net the German star in the recent mega deal with the Mavs.
“They got Maxi Kleber? That’s different, Maxi is good bro,” Teague said. “I like him in LA.”
“Now the Lakers got a power forward, they just need a big now.”
It remains to be seen if Kleber will remain with the Lakers beyond this season.
While his capabilities are undeniable, he currently remains on an injury recovery in which he just underwent surgery to repair a right foot fracture late last month.
Considering the severity of the injury, the recovery process might hinder him from playing again this 2024-25, and it makes him even a possible candidate to be flipped around with his $11 million salary ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA deadline.
Regardless, with the key departure of Anthony Davis, the Lakers have an utmost priority of making another move by acquiring a center.
Out of the notable targets that the Lakers are eyeing from recent reports, Teague thinks that they should go for Atlanta Hawks big Clint Capela.
“They need Clint Capella. Clint Capella would be a little better [than Valanciunas or Vucevic],” Teague argued.
“You don’t need scoring big, the scoring is taken care of [already]. You got Austin Reaves, you got ‘Bron, you got Luka, you got Rui, the scoring is, that’s already done.”
Another name suggested is the Nets Nic Claxton, with Richard Jefferson describing him as a ‘perfect fit’.
