The Los Angeles Lakers set their sights on Deandre Ayton entering free agency after he and his former team, the Trail Blazers, agreed to a buyout. LA went from needing a starting center to giving a former No. 1 overall pick what could be his final prove-it opportunity in the NBA. If things go south, the Lakers could pursue another center who may become available before the February deadline.

Have you ever heard of Nikola? Of course you have. Everyone knows Nikola Vucevic! The center plays for the Bulls, as he has for the past four-and-a-half seasons. The trade deadline is still far, far away, but it’s never too early for trade speculation.

NBA insider Jake Fischer recently said that there hasn’t been much of a market for Vucevic since this past year’s deadline. He said that entering the 2025-26 season, he thinks it’s likelier that the 34-year-old (who will turn 35 in October) will be bought out versus traded. If the Bulls did buy him out, the Lakers could be all over that, as he’d be a solid backup (or replacement) for Ayton.

However, another NBA insider, Marc Stein, isn’t convinced that Vucevic won’t have a trade market between now and February’s deadline. He said so on the CHGO Bulls Podcast.

Will Nikola Vucevic be a Lakers trade target before February deadline?

It’s too soon to know how the first half of the season will play out for LA. The first few weeks will be interesting for Ayton, who burned bridges in Portland because of his poor effort and bad attitude. If that version of Ayton shows up in LA, it will get ugly fast.

The Lakers aren’t in championship-or-bust mode with LeBron (thanks to Luka), but that doesn’t mean they won’t be looking for a center upgrade come deadline time. Vucevic would be a short-term fix, as he’s on an expiring contract, making $21.8 million next season. He aligns with LA’s plan to maintain future financial flexibility.

Vucevic isn’t a top name on the trade market (clearly), but he could change that by having a solid first half of the season, which would increase interest from teams that need a center. One of those teams could be the Lakers.

Not only will things depend on how Ayton is playing, but also on how LA is faring in the conference standings. We’re still months away from knowing what kind of team the Lakers will be.

Jaxson Hayes is currently penciled in as the backup center for the Los Angeles Lakers heading into 2025-26. There are certainly far worse alternatives this roster could be stuck with. However, the opportunity to secure an upgrade like Robert Williams III should not be overlooked.

Williams is under threat of being buried in the Portland Trail Blazers’ depth chart. The former first-round pick is too good to waste away on a rebuilding team that will be favoring other players in the frontcourt during the upcoming campaign.

The Blazers have invested high picks into their center position over the last two offseasons. The 2024 NBA Draft featured Donovan Clingan being selected with the 7th overall pick. The 2025 NBA Draft saw Yang Hansen on his way to Portland at pick number 16.

It would be reasonable to expect both those youngsters getting priority in Chauncey Billups’ rotations next year. With Williams looking more and more like the odd man out, Rob Pelinka would be wise to seize a golden opportunity to relegate Hayes to third in the Lakers’ pecking order at center.

Two-way impact of Robert Williams III cannot be ignored by Lakers

Williams has spent a lot of time in recent seasons attempting to get healthy. Doing extensive homework on the Blazers center to avoid a possible repeat of a situation akin to that of Mark Williams is necessary.

Assuming there is faith in where Williams’ health is at heading into 2025-26, there are a lot of reason to like the potential addition. The on-court impact speaks for itself.

At his best, Williams has been a very dependable defensive option in the frontcourt. Per-36 minutes, the Blazers big man has averaged 2.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game in his career.

Likewise, Williams rebounds better than his size. His per-36 metrics have him pulling down 12.1 rebounds per game through his seven years in the NBA.

Offensively, the role would be simple. Catch lobs from Luka Doncic, operating out of the dunker spot and the pick-and-roll. Cleaning up the offensive glass would also allow Williams some easy points.

There is good news to be had in this scenario off the court too. Williams would arrive on a one-year deal, allowing the Lakers to maintain the financial flexibility they have continued to covet.

The Blazers center is due $13.2 million next season. The Lakers can capitalize on one of their many expiring contracts in trade negotiations. Granted, unless Rui Hachimura is the contract in question, which shouldn’t be the plan, there would be some additional work needed to navigate their current financial constraints.

Ultimately, the Lakers would not need to move heaven and earth to get the deal done. Bringing back Hayes revealed some comfort in continuing to have him operate in the rotation. However, this is an upgrade that would be tough to ignore as Pelinka gets closer to the start of training camp.