NBA Trade Prediction: Lakers' path to acquiring $25,000,000 center by moving injured Maxi Kleber explored 

The LA Lakers acquired Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris from the Dallas Mavericks in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history. The Lakers might not be done dealing ahead of Thursday's deadline due to their need for a big man.

One of the centers they could take a look at is Orlando Magic star Goga Bitadze, who is having the best season of his career. Bitadze is averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.

With Maxi Kleber's injury, the Lakers could trade him again and attach the 2031 first-round pick for Bitadze.

A potential Goga Bitadze for Maxi Kleber swap. (Source: Fanspo)

Here's a closer look at the potential trade and why it makes sense or not for the LA Lakers.

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Why should the Lakers trade Maxi Kleber?

The LA Lakers have a pretty thin frontcourt with Jaxson Hayes and Christian Kaloko at center. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith can play the five with a small ball offense, but the NBA's landscape currently favors teams with a legitimate big.

While Maxi Kleber helps them in that department plus shooting, he is out for eight more weeks with a foot injury. With LeBron and Luka on the roster, they have a shot at making things interesting in the Western Conference.

Adding a player like Goga Bitadze gives the Lakers a solid center who can play defense a little bit better than Hayes. He could blossom into a Daniel Gafford-type player playing alongside Doncic and "The King."

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Why the Lakers likely won't make this trade

First, the Orlando Magic is unlikely to trade Goga Bitadze given how good he has been for them this season. The Magic also have a thin frontline after Mo Wagner went down with a knee injury. They are not going to make it even thinner by acquiring another injured big man.

On the other hand, the LA Lakers have more options on the trade market such as Jonas Valanciunas, Walker Kessler, Robert Williams III, Nic Claxton, Clint Capela, Myles Turner and Nikola Vucevic.

Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka also explained that they are more than likely to wait for the offseason to build around Luka Doncic. They could use the rest of the season to figure out the right roster structure.

"There's just not a lot available," Pelinka said via CBS Sports. "Maybe we'll be able to do some stuff around the margins. In terms of a big move for that position, it's probably more realistic that would come in the offseason."

Maxi Kleber is also pretty close to Doncic, so the Lakers might not want to alienate him and avoid getting rid of people he likes.