The Los Angeles Lakers are poised to have a busy offseason. One area that has been a huge need for the Lakers is getting help at the center position. The Lakers have been in the market for an emerging center for the past two or three seasons.
There is a huge target out there that the Lakers could realistically land through a trade with the Utah Jazz. That target is Walker Kessler. The Utah Jazz have publicly made Kessler available and are expected to listen to trade offers for him, per Deseret News’ Sarah Todd.
Walker Kessler is still very young at 23 years old. He is entering his fourth season in the NBA. Kessler stands at 7 feet tall and weighs in at 245 pounds, and just averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game.
The former Auburn standout would provide all the things the Lakers are looking for at the starting center position. He has the size the Lakers are looking for and consistently scores in the double digits. His production would certainly increase playing with both LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He is bound to get a lot of easy baskets playing with those two, while rebounding extremely well and blocking shots.
The Lakers will surely be upgrading their roster this offseason. Likely, they will first be looking to extend the contracts of both Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Their next likely move will be to get a trade done for Kessler. Kessler is still young and moves the needle for the Lakers at the center position. He has games where he is flat-out dominant in the paint, controlling the glass and being a rim protector, which changes the dynamic of this Lakers team for the better. The Lakers were bounced in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a lack of rim protection and rebounding. Kessler would be the remedy to their defensive and rebounding woes.
