The Lakers will trade Quincy Olivari for the Pelicans center

The The Los Angeles Lakers are in one of many slumps right now, but they’re still 20-17 and solidly in seventh place in the Western Conference as the season nears its halfway mark.

The Lakers have now lost three games in a row after their stellar play put them well above the .500 mark, and now is the time of year when teams like Los Angeles try to make the marginal improvements that can put them over there. JJ Redick and society made one of those key moves on Wednesday when they brought in former Pelicans center Trey Jamison on a two-way deal, according to NBA insider Jake Fisher.

The Lakers made room for Jamison on Wednesday when they cut guard Quincy Olivari. Jemison will likely split time between the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, and it remains to be seen if he will have an impactful role for the team this season as they push for the playoffs.

The debate over whether the Lakers should get bigger and add a consistent center to the roster has been vociferous in recent years. Of course, the Lakers won the 2020 NBA Championship while playing a huge lineup with LeBron James at the three, Anthony Davis at the four and either Dwight Howard or Javell McGee at the five. Since then, the Lakers have started Davis at center and haven’t had quite the same results.

Davis has previously said he likes to play the four instead of the five, but that hasn’t stopped him from having a great season so far that will earn him serious consideration for the All-NBA first team if he keeps it up. So far this year, Davis is averaging 25.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while clearly being the Lakers’ best player on both ends of the court. LeBron James has been very inconsistent this season, and while he can still play at an elite level at times, Davis is the most consistent star on the Lakers’ roster.

Maybe the plan is for the Lakers to start mixing in two more bigs, and maybe Trey Jamison could work his way into the rotation as one of those complementary bigs. Regardless, he adds good frontcourt depth for Redick and the Lakers.

Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a certificate in critical sports studies. He has a lifelong passion for sports and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.