Back in February, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most shocking trades the NBA has ever seen.<\/p>\n
In a blockbuster deal, the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Following the trade, the Lakers went on a solid run to end the regular season, even jumping up to the No. 2 seed in the West at one point.<\/p>\n
However, they ultimately lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Belly Paint, Free Throw Chaos & Thunder Lore: Inside Thundor\u2019s Wild NBA Fandom<\/p>\n
Despite their playoff loss, the future is bright in Los Angeles, especially with Doncic in the mix. In their first offseason with the Slovenian native, the Lakers will likely be busy in the trade or free agency market, with one particular name standing out above the rest.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77).<\/p>\n
In another deal at the trade deadline, the Lakers landed big man Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets to pair alongside Doncic and LeBron James. However, the trade ended up being rescinded due to Williams failing the Lakers’ physical.<\/p>\n
Regardless, the Lakers proved they could be aggressive in making moves to bolster their roster alongside Doncic.<\/p>\n
While nothing is official, there are a few potential trade candidates for the Lakers, including Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler (h\/t Dave McMenamin on The Drive with Spence Checketts podcast).<\/p>\n
Recently, McMenamin reported that the Lakers are “intrigued by” the possibility of landing the Jazz big man, though he also made it clear that no trade is imminent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing on that front\u2026is that Walker Kessler remains a name the Lakers are intrigued by,\u201d McMenamin said. \u201cWhether that will lead to any sort of deal, obviously, last year, the asking price was too steep, and, obviously, the Lakers ended up pivoting those assets that they were considering moving to the Jazz to get Kessler in order to do the Luka trade. That came off the table after the Luka trade. If they do revisit it, that remains a player that the Lakers feel could fill the void that they have at center. I\u2019m not reporting anything\u2019s moving towards [a deal] or picking up steam or anything like that, but Kessler remains on the Lakers\u2019 radar.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Kessler has spent his entire three-year career in Utah so far, and he is coming off the best year of his career. This past season, the Atlanta native averaged 11.1 points, 12. rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game.<\/p>\n If the Lakers do end up pursuing a deal for him, Kessler could be a fantastic addition to the team and would address a big need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Back in February, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most shocking trades the NBA has ever seen. In a blockbuster deal, the Lakers acquired… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n