Should Lakers make run at Blazers’ Robert Williams III?

The Lakers don’t have a patience problem. They have a timing problem.

They started the season looking like a team that could hang in the West. Lately, they’ve looked like one trying to figure out how much urgency is too much urgency. And that tension runs right through LeBron James.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” agent Rich Paul told ESPN, acknowledging the obvious.

James understands the Lakers are building toward the future, but he’s also 41 and not interested in wasting seasons that still matter to him.

That puts pressure on the margins. Including the center rotation.

Deandre Ayton has been productive, but frustration has crept in. Coach JJ Redick admitted Ayton hasn’t always felt involved offensively, noting it’s “human nature” for rebounding and energy to dip when touches dry up. The Lakers, Redick said, are trying to fix that.

Still, depth remains an issue. Which is why Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale floated a familiar name: The Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams III.

If healthy, Williams gives you rim protection, mobility, and vertical juice off the bench. Big if, yes. But also the reason he might be attainable without costing real draft capital.

This wouldn’t be about replacing Ayton. It would be about insulating him. And giving the Lakers another playable big for the games that actually matter.

That’s how teams in LeBron years operate. Not panicking. Not punting. Just tightening screws where they can.