The Los Angeles Lakers have another specific trade in mind after they landed Luka Dončić.
Rob Pelinka, the Lakers vice president and general manager, acknowledged the big void left behind by Anthony Davis, the All-Defensive center whom they swapped with Dončić in the most shocking trade in NBA history.
“We know we have a need for a big,” Pelinka told reporters during Dončić’s introductory press conference. “The market for bigs right now, leading into the last two or three days of the trade deadline, is very dry. There’s just not a lot available. So maybe we’ll be able to do some stuff around the margins.
“I would say, in terms of a big move for that position, it’s probably more realistic that that would be something that comes in the offseason. But Luka will be at the center of that, as we build for the long term.”
The Lakers currently have Jaxson Hayes, who started in their last two games, as the healthy center on their active roster with Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III on two-way contracts. Christian Wood has not recovered yet from the knee injury which sidelined him since Feb. 14 last year.
A Center Tailored-Fit to Luka Dončić
Before the Lakers finalized the deal for Dončić, they were already looking for a center. But though that remains a priority, there’s now a paradigm shift.
Before, they were looking for a bruising center to pair with Davis. Now, they are about to begin building their team around Dončić, who had success in Dallas with rim-running centers.
Pelinka rattled “versatility, nobility and a vertical lob threat” as the traits they are now looking for in a new big man in the post-Davis era.
“I think that’s a key to the spacing that Luka likes to play with,” Pelinka told reporters.
He also added competitiveness as another trait they are looking for in their new center.
“I think you those are some of the core things there,” Pelinka continued. “Those players are hard to find but we’re going to, we’ll accomplish the task that’s before us. We’ll find a way.”
Much like they found a way to pull off the Dončić heist which nobody thought was possible.
Lakers’ Center Options
The Lakers have only one first-round pick (2031), three pick swaps and their 2025 second-round pick left to upgrade their center rotation.
If nothing else materializes between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the Lakers could be forced to play small ball at times with Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt or even LeBron James playing center in a pinch.
It will only become a bigger issue when the Lakers face the big teams in the Western Conference — Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic, Minnesota Timberwolves with Rudy Gobert, Memphis Grizzlies with Zach Edey, Oklahoma City Thunder with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren and Los Angeles Clippers with Ivica Zubac.
The Lakers were previously linked to Washington’s Jonas Valanciunas, Utah’s Walker Kessler, Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic, Portland’s Robert Williams III and Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe.
They could also wait until the 2026 offseason to find their long-term center to pair with Dončić when they will have a much larger cap room.
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