Anthony Davis has put a fair amount of pressure on the Lakers’ front office with his recent comments.
“I think we need another big,” Davis told ESPN’s Shams Charania recently. “I feel like I’ve always been at my best when I’ve been the 4, having a big out there.”
It seems as though the Lakers were listening to AD, and have made his demands a priority, according to Jovan Buha.
“Davis has made his stance known,” Buha said. “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.”
As far as potential bigs go, Buha ranked Walker Kessler of the Jazz as his number one pick and Myles Turner of the Pacers as his number two for LA.
Meanwhile, Dan Woike of the LA Times times pointed out that the cost of a starting center on the trade market right now is pretty large, but the Lakers are trying.
“The Lakers have been actively exploring adding a big man, though it’s not being done recklessly, according to NBA executives,” Woike said. “Concerns about cost, fitting Redick’s preferred style of play and the ripples from moving Davis — namely playing James major minutes at small forward — are being weighed.”
Woike believes that Pacers big man Turner wouldn’t be a “realistic fit” for the purple and gold, but likes Kessler and names him “a perfect fit in terms of rim protection and salary”.
Though, recent reports have suggested that Kessler is completely unavailable in any feasible trade scenarios, thanks to some classic Danny Ainge behavior.
To combat this, Buha suggests that the Lakers “make an even more aggressive offer in the next week-plus” that will blow the Jazz away and force a deal to be done.
However, the Lakers gaining a center won’t fix everything, as a playmaker is also on the wishlist.
As well as “more defense, shooting, athleticism and physicality on the wings”, Buha says.
One thing is for sure, we would hate to be Rob Pelinka right now.
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