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Lakers’ 1st Round Exit Should Force Pelinka To Upgrade Center Rotation

May 4, 2025

The Lakers’ surprise first round exit should ratchet up the pressure on Rob Pelinka to fix the broken roster that doomed L.A. in the playoffs and put together a legitimate championship caliber center rotation this summer.

By rescinding the Mark Williams trade, the Lakers made a clear decision to prioritize the future over the present, forcing the current team to live with a centerless roster while stockpiling tradable assets to use in the offseason. That means Rob Pelinka needs not only to trade for a championship caliber starting center this summer but also acquire a trustworthy backup center who, at minimum, can protect the rim and rebound when the starter rests.

While the Lakers top priority this offseason is fixing their center rotation, they also need to upgrade their wing defense and always like to have draft capital available in case another superstar suddenly comes on the market.
Their current draft capital includes their 2031 first round pick and 1–4 of their 2027 first round pick plus 2026, 2028, 2030, and 2032 pick swaps. There’s also a chance LeBron might take a pay cut to open up the NT MLE.

The bad news is the Lakers have more holes to fill than assets to fill them but the good news is it looks like there will be no shortage of quality starting and backup centers who could be acquired for the right price.
Right now, the Lakers will probably have to trade for their new starting center but could use part of the possible NT MLE to sign a quality backup center, who needs to be good enough to make the Lakers’ rotation.

So what constitutes a championship caliber center rotation for the Lakers, why should their trade strategy be best player and not best deal, and could Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk be their best potential center rotation?

WHAT IS A ‘CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER’ CENTER ROTATION?

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Pelinka already said the Lakers’ top priorities for starting center are ability to protect the rim and be a vertical lob threat but the center rotation as a whole should also include the ability to space the floor and defend in space.

The Lakers not only need a starting center but also a trustworthy backup who together can provide elite rim protection and mobile switchability on defense and vertical lob threat and 3-point floor spacing on offense.
Since there is no center out there who can fill all four of those roles, the Lakers need to build a rotation with a starting and backup center who together have the needed size and offensive and defensive skillsets.

In retrospect, it’s obvious Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office never viewed finding a championship caliber starting center as a critical roster need because they always had superstar Anthony Davis to play the five.
Trading Anthony Davis and watching Jaxson Hayes get played off the court in the playoffs have truly left the Lakers centerless at a point in time where the rest of the league seems to be returning to an age where size rules.

There is no question the Lakers’ greatest roster need this summer is a championship caliber starting center who both can protect the rim and be a lethal vertical lob threat for new superstar point guard Luka Doncic.
What the Lakers need to do is replace what they lost on defense and offense when they traded Anthony Davis, which probably means adding at least two players with the size and skills to play the center position.

A championship caliber center rotation needs an elite young two-way starting center with upside to anchor the defense and give the offense a vertical lob threat and an experienced veteran center to back him up.

WHY LAKERS NEED ‘BEST PLAYER’ MORE THAN ‘BEST DEAL’

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The good news is Pelinka knows the team needs to dramatically upgrade its center rotation both in ability and size. The bad news is Rob as usual will be looking to make the ‘best deal’ rather than acquire the ‘best two centers.’

There’s a time in the life of every organization when they’re facing a critical decision point they absolutely must get right, even if it ends up costing them a more than they hoped to pay. Now is that time for the Lakers.
After failing for four years straight to give their head coach a viable center rotation, Pelinka needs to identify the best targets as Laker starting and backup centers and pay whatever is needed to acquire the right players.

Frankly, for the Lakers to be a legitimate championship caliber team, the need a championship caliber starting center. The Lakers’ starting center should be the third or fourth best player on the team. He’s that important.
Strategically, the Lakers simply must replace Anthony Davis with a center rotation that includes a championship caliber two-way starting center who can anchor the defense and be a lethal vertical lob threat for the offense.

Fortunately, there are multiple elite starting center options for the Lakers to pursue, including the Pacers’ Myles Turner, Heat’s Bam Adebayo, Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson, Jr., Nets’ Nic Claxton, and Jazz’ Walker Kessler.
There are also some excellent backup center option that could become available, including Kelly Olynyk, Steven Adams, Deandre Ayton, Nikola Vucevic, Isaiah Stewart, Jonas Valanciunas, and Robert Williams III.

The Lakers need to identify the best starting and backup centers to complement and fit with Luka Doncic’s style of play and timeline and the team’s future cap situation and pay whatever they have to land them.

COULD KESSLER & OLYNYK BE BEST CENTER ROTATION?

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Two targets who would fill all the Lakers center needs both on offense and defense would Jazz’ Walker Kessler, an elite rim protector and rebounder, and Pelicans’ center Kelly Olynyk, an elite 3-point shooter and playmaker.

Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk would give the Lakers an elite, affordable two-man center rotation that perfectly complements Luka Doncic’s skills as a player and fits his timeline and championship window as a superstar.
The 2-man center rotation of Kessler and Olynyk would cover all four major center skillsets, including rim protection and guarding on the perimeter on defense and stretching the floor and being a vertical lob threat on offense.

Kessler and Olynyk are also both on affordable contracts. Kessler is on the last year of his rookie contract and earns $4.9 million per year while Olynyk is in the last year of a 2-year deal and will make $13.4 million next season.
Compare those salaries to the $19.9, $23.4, $25.4, or $37.1 million per year the Lakers would be paying if they traded for Myles Turner, Jaren Jackson, Nic Claxton, or Bam Adebayo. Lakers get both Kessler and Olynyk for less.

The combination of Walker Kessler’s rim protection, size and physicality, rookie contract and salary, and double-double points and rebounds make him the obvious ‘best player’ option as the Lakers’ new starting center.
The challenge will be getting Danny Ainge to trade Walker Kessler to the Lakers for a package that includes Dalton Knecht, unprotected 2031 first round pick, 2027 first round pick if 1–4, and 2028 first round pick swap.

The 23-year old Kessler and 34-year old Olynyk, even if overpaid, would give the Lakers a deep and diverse championship caliber center rotation with great size and a lethal repertoire of offensive and defensive skills.

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4 Comments

LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

With all that in mind, and safely assuming that LeBron doesn’t want to hang it up, here are five trade targets to maximize the Luka-LeBron pairing:

1. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

Jarrett Allen
C – CLE – #31
2024 – 2025 season
13.5 Pts, 9.7 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 0.9 Blk, 28:00 Min
The proposal

Lakers receive:
-Jarrett Allen

Cavs receive:
-Austin Reaves
-Dalton Knecht
-Unprotected 2031 first-rounder
-Pick swaps in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032

Once Cleveland inked Evan Mobley to a max extension last July, the writing was on the wall for the Core Four. Mobley’s contract explodes from $11.2 million in 2024-25 to $38.7 million in 2025-26, the first of a massive five-year pact, pushing the Cavs’ payroll deeper into the 2025-26 tax than all but two teams (Boston and Phoenix). For a small market like Cleveland, something’s got to give and, unfortunately, Allen may be the odd man out.

For the Lakers, the appeal is obvious. Allen, a one-time All-Star squarely in his prime (he turned 27 last week), would immediately step in as an ideal low-usage lob threat and defensive anchor. Plus, he has four fully guaranteed years left on his contract, starting at $20 million in 2025-26.

For the Cavs, Mobley’s Defensive Player of the Year ascension makes an Allen trade easier to swallow, especially if it brings in Reaves, a dynamic wing who can boost the team’s playmaking and foul-drawing on the perimeter. The Cavs would shave money off their hefty tax bill and still flex a formidable starting five of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Reaves, De’Andre Hunter and Mobley. An early exit in the playoffs would make an Allen deal more plausible, but no less painful.

2. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Jaren Jackson Jr.
C – MEM – #13
2024 – 2025 season
22.2 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1.5 Blk, 29:49 Min

-The proposal

Lakers receive:
-Jaren Jackson Jr.
-Brandon Clarke

Grizzlies receive:
-Austin Reaves
-Rui Hachimura
-Dalton Knecht
-Unprotected 2031 first-rounder
-Pick swaps in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032

Will the Grizzlies fully smash the reset button after a disastrous finish to the season that included GM Zach Kleiman firing Taylor Jenkins right before the postseason and the team getting swept in the first round? We’ll see what happens this offseason with Ja Morant and Jackson.

The latter could have signed an extension before the season but decided against it, opting for the possibility he could make All-NBA this season and become eligible for a supermax extension bump. He has an expiring deal at a reasonable $25 million for 2025-26 after which the 25-year-old can become a free agent. Rather than risk letting the former Defensive Player of the Year walk for nothing, the Grizzlies could bring Reaves “home” to Memphis, just 100 miles away from the Newark, Arkansas, farm on which he was raised.

This season, Reaves joined Fred VanVleet as the only two undrafted players in NBA history to average 20 points and five assists on a winning team. Like Allen above, the Lakers would have to put all their chips in the middle. With Jackson’s uncertain future and Reaves’ local ties, this is certainly a situation to monitor.

3. Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz

Walker Kessler
C – UTA – #24
IR
2024 – 2025 season
11.1 Pts, 12.2 Reb, 1.7 Ast, 2.4 Blk, 30:00 Min
The proposal

Lakers receive:
-Walker Kessler

Jazz receive:
-Dalton Knecht
-Unprotected 2032 first-rounder
-Pick swaps in 2026, 2028, 2030, 2031

This is the Mark Williams offer but with three more pick swaps and the first-round pick being one year later than the one Pelinka was willing to send to Charlotte. I’m not even sure Utah bites unless Reaves is part of the package, especially considering the Jazz may feel a certain way after unknowingly greasing the cap wheels for the Dončić trade in the first place. Kessler is set to earn less than $5 million next season, giving him one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league. Granted, he’s due for an extension this summer, so his discount has an expiration date on the horizon.

For the Jazz to trade the 23-year-old now, without seeing how he fits next to their incoming top-five pick, they’d be justified to ask for a king’s ransom.

Yes, it’s hard to reconcile Kessler’s elite block rates with Utah owning two of the worst defensive ratings in NBA history with him as the defensive anchor. That said, I’d be willing to bet on Kessler in a winning environment and not whatever Utah has been trying to do the past two seasons. A larger deal involving Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton’s expiring contracts can be explored with Reaves, but I don’t see the Lakers throwing him into a deal unless it’s for a bankable star. Kessler isn’t that, but he’s also an upgrade over Mark Williams.

4. Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic

Wendell Carter Jr.
C – ORL – #34
2024 – 2025 season
9.1 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 2 Ast, 0.6 Blk, 25:51 Min
The proposal

Lakers receive:
-Wendell Carter Jr.

Magic receive:
-Dalton Knecht
-Shake Milton
-Unprotected 2031 first-rounder
-Pick swaps in 2028 and 2030

The Lakers and Magic seem like ideal trade partners. The defensively rich Magic desperately need an offensive injection (hello, Knecht!) and have the luxury of two springy centers who deserve a full-time starting role: Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze.

Both would represent a significant upgrade over Jaxson Hayes, who struggled to gain the confidence of Redick this season. I much prefer Carter Jr.’s physicality compared to the Duke product that the Lakers almost acquired at the deadline, Mark Williams.

Playing without a true point guard for most of his career, Carter Jr. has some untapped Daniel Gafford lob potential. Last season, Carter Jr. flushed 19 alley-oop dunks with an average vertical of 27.6 inches, clearing Allen (27.3), Jackson (26.5) and Kessler (21.6) on this list. Put Carter Jr. next to LeBron and Luka and I think he’d thrive. An added bonus, he’s under contract for the next four seasons at a very moveable $17.4 million average annual salary.

5. Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons

Isaiah Stewart
C – DET – #28
IR
2024 – 2025 season
6 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1.7 Ast, 1.4 Blk, 19:55 Min

The proposal

Lakers receive:
-Stewart
-Lindy Waters III

Pistons receive:
-Dalton Knecht
-Gabe Vincent
-Shake Milton
-Two pick swaps in 2026 and 2028

Beef Stew and LeBron James may have some, well, beef dating back to the 2021 tussle in which both were suspended, but if James wants an elite rim protector, it’ll be harder to find one better than Detroit’s 23-year-old center.

Stewart took a backseat to rising star Jalen Duren in 2024-25, but with a near 7-foot-5 wingspan, Stewart remains a monster in the paint. This past season, Stewart led all players in defensive field-goal percentage at the rim, allowing just 46% shooting by the basket while nearby, according to NBA.com player-tracking data (min. over 200 shots defended).

Stewart may not be a star like the targets above, but he’s certainly a star in his role, owning the boards and ranking among the league leaders in block rate. Over the next three seasons, Stewart is set to make $15 million (team option in 2027-28), which would allow the Lakers some cap flexibility to build around their starry core.

As for the Pistons, they acquire much-needed backcourt depth (Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley are all free agents) and one of the most promising young shooters in Knecht to flank Cade Cunningham. I could see the Pistons demanding a first-round pick if they were to part with Stewart, but Knecht’s upside as a sharpshooter could be enough.

LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Of the three options, I would lean towards Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s the only one of the three who can stretch the court as well as protect the rim. I’m not worried about giving out swaps because they’ll be useless unless the Lakers become losers. Have to bet on yourselves to be…— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 5, 2025

LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Lakers’ 1st Round Exit Should Force Pelinka To Upgrade Center RotationThe Lakers’ surprise first round exit should ratchet up the pressure on Rob Pelinka to fix the broken roster that doomed L.A. in the playoffs and put together a legitimate championship caliber center rotation… pic.twitter.com/aLId0dMioY— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 4, 2025
LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Lakers’ 1st Round Exit Should Force Pelinka To Upgrade Center Rotation WHAT IS A ‘CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER’ CENTER ROTATION?Pelinka already said the Lakers’ top priorities for starting center are ability to protect the rim and be a vertical lob threat but the center rotation as a… pic.twitter.com/RY50Q6ZgFi— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 4, 2025
LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Lakers’ 1st Round Exit Should Force Pelinka To Upgrade Center Rotation WHY LAKERS NEED ‘BEST PLAYER’ MORE THAN ‘BEST DEAL’The good news is Pelinka knows the team needs to dramatically upgrade its center rotation both in ability and size. The bad news is Rob as usual will be… pic.twitter.com/ltgPW837RV— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 4, 2025
LakerTom
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Lakers’ 1st Round Exit Should Force Pelinka To Upgrade Center Rotation COULD KESSLER & OLYNYK BE BEST CENTER ROTATION?Two targets who would fill all the Lakers center needs both on offense and defense would Jazz’ Walker Kessler, an elite rim protector and rebounder, and… pic.twitter.com/EM7jqKimHw— LakerTom (@LakerTom) May 4, 2025