Amid Lakers center conundrum, insider reveals 7'2" big could be 'too good to pass up' at NBA Draft

Heading into this offseason, it's no secret that the LA Lakers would be targeting a starting center. Prior to the NBA trade deadline, Anthony Davis made it clear that he believed the team needed a starting center if they wanted to compete for a title. Instead, the team parted ways with Davis and entered into the postseason with Jaxson Hayes as their starting center.

Right now, the crop of available starting centers is looking thin ahead of this summer's free agency. Lakers beat writer Dan Woike pointed out that teams in the market for a starting center could wind up looking to 7-foot-2 Duke center Khaman Maluach as a player that's too good to pass up on.

When looking at the available centers this summer, Woike wrote:

"Another possibility or two could develop on draft night depending on how teams value this group of young bigs. A player such as Duke’s Khaman Maluach could be viewed as too good to pass up even if a team has a center on the roster, and that could create an opportunity for a player to unexpectedly hit the trade market."

While LA does not have a first-round pick this year, the team could either trade up for Maluach or, in a more plausible scenario, a team that drafts Maluach might end up putting a center on the trade block, which LA could then target.

Lakers and Mavericks reportedly hesitant to discuss a trade for Daniel Gafford after Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic controversy

Heading into this summer's free agency period, there's been quite a bit of talk surrounding Dallas Mavericks starting center Daniel Gafford.

According to HoopsHype, Gafford wants to be paid like a starting center, and considering the team has Dereck Lively II just one year away from being extension eligible, paying Gafford may not be in their best interest, looking at the salary cap.

The belief is that Gafford could wind up getting traded this summer, and when taking into consideration the fact that he and Luka Doncic have already made a run to the NBA Finals together, a trade for LA seems like a no-brainer.

According to Dan Woike, the Lakers and Mavs are hesitant to engage in trade talks after the controversy that came from the Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.

With plenty of time between now and the start of the 2025-26 season to figure things out, only time will tell how things shake out this summer, and who the Lakers have starting at the center spot when the upcoming season does tip off.