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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