_**The Los Angeles Lakers nearly acquired the perfect-fitting center in addition to Luka Doncic at the NBA Trade Deadline. And no, we're not talking about Mark Williams.**_
The Los Angeles Lakers' [season probably would have ended differently](https://sircharlesincharge.com/lakers-disappointing-playoff-letdown-wolves-reveals-biggest-offseason-need) had they acquired the perfect-fitting big man that they were rumored to be targeting shortly after the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic. According to a recent report, it's now been [revealed that ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25198775-lakers-reportedly-made-call-about-hawks-onyeka-okongwu-nba-trade-deadline), the Lakers attempted to acquire Atlanta Hawks do-it-all big man Onyeka Okongwu.
In the end, the two sides didn't seem to get far in trade discussions, but you'd have to imagine that had a deal gone down, it probably would've altered how this season ended for the Lakers.
Even though he doesn't get complete credit for how good of a player he is, the Lakers are the exact situation in which Okongwu would thrive. As a versatile young big who may be limited on a rebuilding (or retooling) team, it's unfortunate this trade didn't get off the ground.
Could the Lakers revisit previous trade talks for Okongwu?
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It's always fun to play the "what if" game while looking back at NBA history, but where this becomes truly interesting is whether the team could revisit their previous trade interest this offseason. Especially at the center position, not much has changed for the Lakers. Finding a center who could protect the rim and add another element to the offense that they don't currently have on their roster still has to be considered the biggest priority for Los Angeles.
In theory, Okongwu would be a great fit for the Lakers. He is a versatile frontcourt defender, is coming off a career year best in rebounding, and is a better offensive player than he gets credit for. For some, Okongwu has not fully developed into the player many believed he could be. But that doesn't mean he's still not a good player, and that he can't take another big step forward in his game in the future.
Maybe a bit of a change of scenery is exactly what Okongwu needs at this point in his career. At the very least, it would be interesting to see how Okongwu would operate playing next to two players as talented as Luka and LeBron. Would the Lakers pursue him again? Would the Hawks even be open to trading him at all? There are plenty of questions and uncertainty revolving around this possibility.
However, the fact that there was some contact between the two teams during the offseason does give at least some hope to a potential deal getting done between both sides. It's certainly something to keep an eye on heading into the offseason.