The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a center this summer. But not just any center. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Doncic wants the Lakers to acquire an A-List center. And Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler is one of the guys LA is interested in getting. He would fill that need.
Right now, Kessler and the Jazz aren’t exactly in the best spot when it comes to negotiations. Kessler is going to be a restricted free agent this summer, but he and the Jazz are reportedly nowhere close to coming to an agreement on a contract. Utah can match any deal that Kessler gets, but it could be put in a brutal spot if the Lakers overpay.
It’s going to be a very interesting situation to follow.
Luka Doncic could make Pistons' Jalen Duren decision harder
Here is exactly what McMenamin had to say when discussing the types of players the Lakers (and Doncic, in particular) are looking to target this offseason:
“There are several restricted free agents the Lakers have already done their due diligence on, sources familiar with the team's thinking told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote. “Two of them, Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, would satisfy Doncic's directive to secure an A-list center.”
As things stand, the Lakers won’t have a ton of money to spend in free agency. However, if LeBron James ends up leaving, they could open up a lot of spending money.
With that spending money, the Lakers could hand Duren a major offer in restricted free agency. One that the Pistons would then have to match, no matter how much they intended to spend on him.
LA could also try to pry him away from the Pistons via a trade, though that could prove much harder than simply trying to offer him a deal in restricted free agency.
The Pistons probably aren’t looking to trade Duren right now, no matter how many picks the Lakers tried to throw their way. Perhaps they would be interested if the Lakers shipped out Austin Reaves, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and they may not want to do that.
The point is, if Doncic and the Lakers are intent on trying to get their hands on Duren this summer, then that could make life harder for the Pistons.
Detroit has every right to match whatever offer Duren gets this summer, but it won’t be able to control how much that offer is worth.
That’s the danger.
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