This will be a big offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers, mostly because it will be their first real opportunity to build a roster around and for Luka Doncic, 16 months after acquiring him in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. They’re projected to have up to approximately $50 million in salary cap space, and while they have multiple players they will want to re-sign to new contracts, they should have the opportunity to secure at least one outside player who would upgrade their roster.
First on their to-do list as far as going after outside players is likely upgrading at the center position. Starter Deandre Ayton was, from time to time, disappointing, and he has an $8.1 million player option for next season, while backup Jaxson Hayes is about to become a free agent.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Doncic wants the Lakers to obtain an “A-list center.”
“Luka’s first and foremost desire is an A-list center,” the source said.
The three best teams in the NBA — the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and the world champion New York Knicks — all have All-Stars at the 5 spot. Various other teams across the league also have stars or near-stars in the middle. Unfortunately, the Lakers’ options as far as obtaining the type of center Doncic reportedly wants don’t look great.
Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren, the two targets who have been linked to the Lakers and are on every fan’s wish list, are restricted free agents. There is every indication that their current teams will aggressively match any offer sheet the Lakers present to either player, although Kessler is now reportedly “at odds” with Jazz management.
Other centers mentioned as possible targets for L.A. include Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks and Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets, but neither man may fit the description of an “A-list center.”
At a minimum, the Lakers need an athletic, defensive-minded center who consistently blocks shots, protects the rim, boxes out, rebounds well and runs the floor adeptly. In the past, Doncic has done well with such centers who are lob threats, including Gafford, his former teammate in Dallas.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: Luka Doncic wants Lakers to get ‘A-list center’
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
