Report: Centers on trade market not appealing to Lakers

Now that the Lakers have traded for Luka Doncic, there is a need to find a center, even with few enticing options available.

It was the worst-kept secret that the Lakers were set to be buyers during this trade deadline. It was the best-kept secret that they were working on a blockbuster deal to acquire Luka Doncic.

Somehow, Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka was able to execute a deal to secure the future star of the Lakers and even reportedly convinced Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to take less than he was asking for to do it.

The move, though, turned an arguable need of an upgrade at center into a dire one. Instead of relying upon Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers now just have Hayes.

On Monday, Fred Katz, Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic discussed the next step for the franchise as it looks to finalize its roster before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The Lakers could now use a big man, someone to protect the paint, but not many centers whose names are prevalent on the market appeal to them, league sources said. And just as they wouldn’t part with the 2031 first-rounder for Dončić, they have no plans to give their best remaining draft asset away for a patch-up role player.

Before the Luka deal, we heard names connected to the Lakers, including centers Jonas Valancunias of the Wizards and Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls.

Valancunias is having a decent season in Washington, averaging 11.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Vucevic is scoring a lot in Chicago at 19.9 points per game, though they, just like the Wizards, aren’t playing much meaningful basketball.

However, with just one tradeable first left and the Lakers looking vastly different now, neither player makes much sense.

These players are slow-footed, offensive-minded bigs and with Davis gone, they no longer complement the players on this team. The big they do need is an upgrade from their current sole healthy center, Jaxson Hayes.

When you look at Hayes’ core abilities, you see that he’s an athletic big who can score well near the rim and gives you vertical spacing.

So, while the Lakers should be a fun offensive team now, they’ve lost the elite defensive rim protection that AD provided and no one on the roster can replicate it.

The search for a center to join Los Angeles will continue until they make a trade or the deadline expires.

Based on their reluctance to give up a first-rounder to fulfill this need so far, don’t expect them to get off their 2031 first for a center unless a truly exceptional one suddenly becomes available.

Hopefully, despite the options available and the shrinking of their assets, the Lakers can still find a quality center to bolster their depth in this position.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.