The Los Angeles Lakers made a blunder by signing Alex Len.
Most expected Anthony Davis to spend the rest of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the organization couldn’t give up on the offer of getting a generational superstar in Luka Doncic.
The blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks will remain one of the most scrutinized trades in league history, but let’s keep that on the back burner for a change.
Instead, let’s focus on what the aftermath of Davis’ departure. With AD gone, the Lakers no longer had an elite big anchoring the defense. They did try to fill the void by signing Alex Len, but it turned out to be a terrible decision.
When the Lakers signed Len, they essentially had just one quality big man, Jaxson Hayes. After all, the organization backed out of the Mark Williams trade.
It quickly became clear that Len doesn’t fit in the current Lakers system, especially due to his steep decline. What’s surprising is the fact that the Lakers” scouting department should have seen that coming.
Why? Well, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to find Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid absolutely obliterating Alex Len at the rim in 2023.
The viral clip was from the 2022-23 NBA season when Len was a member of the Sacramento Kings. At the time, he was still 29 years old.
Fast forward to the 2024-25 NBA season, Len is two years older and has further regressed as a defender.
The Timberwolves’ big-man lineups gave the Lakers a run for their money in the opening round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
In all fairness, head coach JJ Redick was partly at fault for not playing Hayes appropriate minutes, but Len was a bigger waste of a roster spot in the playoffs.
Len featured in two games, averaging just 2.0 minutes per game. It certainly makes fans question whether the Lakers should have waived Christian Wood in favor of Len.
In fact, they could have gone with the likes of Trey Jemison or Christian Koloko as well, who are both better than Len.
