PHILADELPHIA — Late in the first quarter of Tuesday’s 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest weaknesses — arguably their biggest — was glaring.
When Anthony Davis exited the game with an abdominal muscle strain, the Lakers were left with Jaxson Hayes, two-way center Christian Koloko or a center-less look against Philadelphia. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid and Paul George, among other rotation players, and were mostly undersized. But that didn’t matter, as Tyrese Maxey waltzed to the rim undeterred, the Sixers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and Philly controlled the paint.
Davis has made his stance known. He wants another starting-caliber center on the roster. Adding another big has become even more of a priority for the Lakers, according to team and league sources.
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However, it’s not their only need. The Lakers have three needs entering the Feb. 6 trade deadline (in no particular order):
- A better defensive center to back up Davis and occasionally play alongside him
- More defense, shooting, athleticism and physicality on the wings
- Another ballhandler and playmaker to help LeBron James and Austin Reaves run the offense
The challenge for vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka is that the Lakers only have two tradable first-round picks (2029 and 2031), three pick swaps (2026, 2028 and 2030), two second-round picks (their own 2025 and the LA Clippers’ 2025), and undesirable midsized salaries (Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt). That’s before mentioning any first-apron restrictions, including the inability to take back more salary in a trade.
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Nonetheless, there are still moves to be made, especially if they’re aggressive in offering their first-round picks. Who can the Lakers add at the deadline? What will it cost? How will they fit? Here are several trade targets to keep an eye on over the next week:
Tier 1
Worth at least two considerable assets, including potentially both first-round picks
1. Walker Kessler
Utah Jazz | C | 7-0 | 23 years old | Third season | Salary: $2.9 million (Two years, $7.7 million total)
Stats: 11.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 73.3 FG percent, 29.8 minutes
Kessler is a two-way monster. He’s the best offensive rebounder in the league this season, one of the best finishers and one of the best rim protectors. When Davis mentions the 2020 championship roster, Kessler is the type of big in line with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard’s skill sets. Except he’s younger and better than either of them was at that point (Howard was 34 and nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career).
He’s also still in his rookie deal, meaning he’s cost-controlled this season and next. For perspective, he’s three months younger than Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht. He can start or come off the bench, though with the likely price the Lakers would have to pay to acquire him, he’d almost certainly have to start and play close to 30 minutes per night to be worth that level of investment.
Arguably the best part of trading for Kessler is that it wouldn’t necessarily require including a rotation player. The Lakers could get to his salary figure with second-year guard Jalen Hood-Schifino or a minimum player like Wood or Cam Reddish. In a more ambitious offer, they could put Knecht on the table, but even then, he projects as the ninth or 10th man in their healthy rotation given his defensive concerns and inconsistent shooting over the past two months.
The Lakers have had interest in Kessler dating back to the offseason. The Jazz have a sky-high asking price for him, one the Lakers might be unwilling to meet. Utah isn’t shopping him. If he gets traded, it will be because the Jazz were blown away by an offer. And that’s exactly what the Lakers should do: make an even more aggressive offer in the next week-plus.
Kessler is worth some combination of two first-round picks or one first-round unprotected pick and Knecht. He’d give the Lakers a physically imposing starting frontcourt for the first time since 2021.
The Lakers have had their eyes on Myles Turner for a long time. (Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)
2. Myles Turner
Indiana Pacers | C | 6-11 | 28 | 10th season | Salary: $19.9 million (expiring)
Stats: 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 47.9 FG percent, 39.3 3PT percent, 31.1 minutes
If you were designing a big man to complement Davis, Turner would be about as close as it gets. He’s the rare 3-and-D center, joining the likes of Kristaps Porziņģis and Brook Lopez as 7-foot(ish) bigs who shoot an above-average percentage on a high volume of 3s while also credibly protecting the rim. Turner was nearly a Laker ahead of the 2022-23 season, when the LA was close with Indiana on a Russell Westbrook for Turner and Buddy Hield swap. The Lakers have long coveted him.
There are two hurdles with a Turner deal. First, it’s unclear how available he truly is. Given his impending free agency, there is a sense around the league Turner is sneakily gettable and can be had for the right price. He’s going to be seeking a contract starting in the $30-plus million range annually, and the Pacers aren’t sure if they want to pay him that much, according to league sources. That has to be factored into this equation if the Lakers trade for him. Second, the Pacers would likely need a center in return. They are not an organization that tanks, and giving up their starting center without getting another would likely cause them to take a step back in the East.
Like Kessler, Turner is a big who can complement Davis as a starter, man the paint when he’s off the floor and also step up into a larger role if Davis misses time. He’s worth at least one first-rounder and one asset (a swap or both seconds), if not arguably both firsts.
Tier 2
Best player available and worth one first-round pick plus at least another asset
3. Cameron Johnson
Brooklyn Nets | F | 6-8 | 28 | Sixth season | Salary: $22.5 million (Three years, $65.6 million total)
Stats: 19.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 49.1 FG percent, 41.9 3PT percent, 32.3 minutes
Acquiring Johnson would be a talent play, as he’s better than any of the remaining players. This season, he’s enjoying a career year offensively, averaging career-highs in points, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
He’s a sniper — the kind coach JJ Redick values and James has always loved playing with. He’s capable of doing more than knocking down 3s, though, as he’s improved as a ballhandler, pull-up and step-back shooter, and passer/playmaker. He’d step in as the Lakers’ clear-cut best shooter, fourth-best scorer and fourth-best shot-creator.
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Essentially, he’s a better version of the Rui Hachimura archetype. He’s a better scorer, shooter, ballhandler and passer. Both are relatively limited defensively, with Hachimura better at leveraging his strength against big men and Johnson better at using his length and quickness against wings/guards.
Johnson’s defense and injury history (a theme on this list) are his only drawbacks.
Two teams can technically agree to two separate deals in the same trade cycle, but it’s rare. It would’ve made more sense for the Lakers to acquire Finney-Smith and Johnson in the same deal. He has the highest price on the market among these targets outside of Kessler. It’s unlikely, but if Brooklyn lowers the price to anything less than two firsts, he’d make a lot of sense.
Tier 3
Players who are worth at least both of the Lakers’ second-round picks, if not a protected first-rounder
4. Bruce Brown Jr.
Toronto Raptors | SG/SF | 6-4 | 28 | Seventh season | Salary: $23 million (expiring)
Stats: 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 46 FG percent, 32 3PT percent, 20.3 minutes
The Lakers have been fond of Brown since he played a key role for Denver in sweeping Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference finals. They were optimistic Brown would sign with them that offseason, but the Indiana Pacers swooped in with a two-year, $45 million deal (that eventually helped them land Pascal Siakam).
Brown would be a wonderful fit with the Lakers because of his versatility. He’s an excellent cutter and mover off the ball, making him a seamless complement to James and Davis. He’s a crafty finisher who finds a way to loft shots in and around bigger players despite being undersized and not particularly explosive.
He can also handle the ball, pushing it in transition or running pick-and-rolls, giving the Lakers the third ballhandler and playmaker they need. He attacks downhill and plays with a verve LA needs more of. At the same time, he’s a tough, physical, multi-positional defender who can guard one through three. He checks multiple boxes as a hybrid between their wing and ballhandling/playmaker needs.
There are two worries when it comes to acquiring Brown. First, he had knee surgery before the season, causing him to miss the first 31 games. The Lakers have had bad luck with knee injuries and role players in recent seasons. It would be a risk to assume he could stay healthy for the rest of the season. And second, Brown is an inconsistent shooter currently shooting the third-worst 3-point percentage of his career. The Lakers need a baseline level of shooting from their perimeter players considering there is no high-volume, bull’s-eye shooter within their rotation (Hachimura and Max Christie are close).
Still, he’s been playing much better lately, averaging 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 49.3/36.8/87.5 shooting splits over his past eight games. He’s worth at least both seconds, if not a protected first.
5. Lonzo Ball
Chicago Bulls | G | 6-6 | 27 | Eighth season | Salary: $21.4 million (expiring)
Stats: 7.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 37.8 FG percent, 34.8 3PT percent, 20.9 minutes
Trading for Ball would be the second time the Lakers reunited with a former Baby Laker at the trade deadline (the other being D’Angelo Russell at the 2023 deadline). This time around, Ball is a different player than the phenom the Lakers traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Davis blockbuster.
He’s a high-volume 3-point shooter who largely operates around the arc, finding bigs with pocket passes or kickbacks for pick-and-pop 3s. The qualities that made Ball a special prospect are still there. He remains one of the best hit-ahead passers in the league, pushing the ball relentlessly in transition and finding his teammates as they cut toward the rim or spray out for 3s.
He’s also a stout defender and elite defensive playmaker, stripping unsuspecting ballhandlers, poking dribbles loose and playing passing lanes (career-high 2.7 steals per 36 minutes). The two players he’s defended the most this season are Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Maxey, per NBA.com data, highlighting his defensive utility as he scales up or down.
Ball is a major injury risk — he missed two full seasons with knee injuries. He’s on a minutes restriction (he hasn’t played more than 26 minutes in a game this season) and hasn’t played in a back-to-back yet. The Lakers would have to implement that load management plan, which would put their rotation in flux on some nights.
He’s of similar value to Brown, though with slightly more risk.
6. Robert Williams III
Portland Trail Blazers | C | 6-9 | 23 | Seventh season | Salary: $12.4 million (Two years, $25.7 million total)
Stats: 5.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 65.1 FG percent, 17.3 minutes
Williams is a cheaper (asset-wise) but riskier version of the Kessler archetype. He’s an elite rebounder on both ends, a dangerous lob threat and a dominant rim-protector (3.6 blocks per 36 minutes).
He’d function similarly to Hayes, developing pick-and-roll chemistry with James and Reaves. The only difference is that he could protect the paint and defensive glass when Davis is off the floor. Unlike some of the other options on this list, the Lakers could easily slot him into a bench role, leaving their remaining starting lineup and rotation as is.
There’s significant risk, though, as he’s arguably the most injury-prone player on this list (a distinction from Ball, who’s dealt with the most devastating injury). Williams has never played more than 61 games in a season and has already missed 29 games this season.
However, if he manages to stay healthy the rest of the season, or at least come playoff time, he’s a ceiling-raiser who can fit in off the bench and also play alongside Davis as long as the other three players on the floor can shoot.
The price is probably multiple second-round picks or a protected first-round pick.
7. Jakob Poeltl
Toronto Raptors | C | 7-0 | 29 | Ninth season | Salary: $19.5 million (Three years, $58.5 million total)
Stats: 14.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks, 61.8 FG percent, 31.3 minutes
Despite NBA reporter Marc Stein’s recent report that the Lakers aren’t interested in Poeltl, he makes a lot of sense for them. He’s the most physical big man on this list, and while he doesn’t have the gaudy block numbers of Kessler, Turner and Williams, he’s averaging the most steals of the group and is an incredibly sound positional defender. He’s an elite rebounder, joining Kessler as the only other player on this list averaging a double-double.
Poeltl has an unorthodox floater/push shot and is an underrated passer who can facilitate a bit from above the arc and the elbows. He can flourish next to Davis while also adding wrinkles to the bench-centric offense.
Why does he rank so low? He’s the oldest player on the list, is the most expensive Tier 3 option long-term, and his contract is at risk of aging the worst. There have also been murmurs that the Raptors want more than a first-round pick for him, which would be difficult to justify.
Honorable mentions: Ayo Dosunmo, Clint Capela, Collin Sexton, Day’Ron Sharpe
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(Top photo of Walker Kessler: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
