The 2025-26 NBA season is officially less than two months away as August comes to an end. Los Angeles Lakers fans are excited to see what a full year of the Luka Doncic-LeBron James tandem will mean for the franchise, especially after Doncic signed his $165 million extension earlier this month.
A new basketball season is exciting, but there's still some time to kill before the action begins. That's why Lakers fans have spent the summer keeping tabs on the team's former players, whether they've successfully secured new contracts or are struggling to find their next payday.
When it comes to the latter scenario, one of the Lakers' most recent flops certainly fits the bill as he enters September unemployed.
Former Lakers C Alex Len is Still Unemployed Before September
An abysmal frontcourt was one of the Lakers' biggest issues last season, and at the center of it all (no pun intended) was Alex Len. L.A. signed the former Maryland Terrapin after he was waived by the Washington Wizards following a trade from the Sacramento Kings, and the hope was that he could shore up the frontcourt after the Lakers traded Anthony Davis to Dallas.
It seemed like a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal at the time. Even though he's never been the best center in the Association, Len's experience (nearly 700 regular-season games) made him a gamble worth taking — especially with his then-240 games as a starting center.
But instead of helping the Lakers' big-man situation, Len made things more dire. His poor performance led to him being a health scratch multiple times down the stretch, all as he averaged only 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 45.5% from the floor and 33.3% from deep while playing 12.2 minutes per night across 10 games (4 starts). He then only played 3:40 in two playoff appearances, effectively sealing his fate in Los Angeles.
Modern NBA centers need to be versatile at both ends of the floor, which Len failed to prove he's capable of being. The struggling 7-footer's 96 offensive and 117 defensive ratings per 100 possessions after joining the Lakers perfectly show that he didn't help the team in either of basketball's most important facets. Other teams will look at that performance and know he'll do more harm than good for their outlook.
Perhaps a training camp or preseason injury will pop up around the league that will force a team to gamble on Len. If not, the former Lakers flop might have to consider taking his basketball career overseas.
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