Rob Pelinka isn't done improving dangerously shallow area of Lakers' roster

The Los Angeles Lakers' frontcourt has gone through a massive makeover this summer. Out the door went Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes; in came Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney.

Beyond Kessler and Looney, the only guy on the Lakers' roster right now who could play center in the rotation is Sandro Mamukelashvili. If you're worried about such shallow big man depth for the Lake Show, you're not alone. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is reportedly still working to add another big.

Lakers reportedly aren't done shopping for big men

The Athletic's Lakers reporter Dan Woike revealed that LA is still on the prowl for frontcourt reinforcements.

"The Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic," Woike wrote on Monday. "The team could address the position either by trade or signing."

The Lakers' roster is at 16 players with the signing of Matisse Thybulle. This means that Pelinka will have to trim things down by at least one player. Jarred Vanderbilt makes plenty of sense as a coming subtraction.

Lakers could trade Jarred Vanderbilt in a deal for a big man

All assumptions are that Pelinka's been trying to find a landing spot for Vanderbilt and his undesirable contract ($12.4 million this year, $13.3 million player option next year). Vanderbilt can't shoot and is thus a poor fit on a Luka Doncic basketball team. He's still relatively young (27) and provides value defensively, but the fact that he's as yet unsold by the Lakers tells you that his market is pretty weak.

The ideal situation for the Lakers here would be to use Vanderbilt's contract in a deal that brings back a backup big. Maybe someone with some youth, bounce, and upside.

Kevon Looney is pretty much nailed to the floor, which is why it would make sense to bring in a big who can operate as a lob threat. This isn't to knock Looney, who is durable and has championship experience. He'll be valuable to the Lakers, but they don't need another big who can't play above the rim.

It's going to be tough for Pelinka to find a buyer for Vanderbilt, much less one willing to give any sort of real value back. This might be a diamond in the rough situation wherein the Lakers trade for a player that's a virtual unknown, but whom their scouting department believes has potential.

Adjacent to the idea of trading Vanderbilt is the notion of simply signing a big guy. But that brings your roster to 17 players. There's still plenty of time left in the offseason for Pelinka to cook. Don't sleep on the next couple of moves -- they'll be important. Over the course of an 82-game season, every roster spot ends up mattering. Given Kessler's injury history, the Lakers could mess up their season if they don't acquire another big guy who can give them minutes.

Today's best reads

• Lakers better hope free agent history doesn't repeat itself
• Lakers have a Kevon Looney problem that can only be fixed by a trade
• Lakers have a workable solution to their never-ending center problems
• Lakers' doomed pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga looks like a dead-end road
• Austin Reaves gave the Lakers a gift that Rob Pelinka can't afford to squander

This article was originally published on lakeshowlife.com as Rob Pelinka isn't done improving dangerously shallow area of Lakers' roster.