Report: Trading For Center Is Big Priority For Lakers; Anthony Davis Out At Least 1 Week

According to NBA reporter Jovan Buha of The Athletic, trading for a center is a big priority for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Anthony Davis will miss at least one week after suffering an abdominal muscle strain in the Lakers’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. 

“Davis has made his stance known,” Buha wrote. “He wants another starting-caliber center on the roster. Adding another big has become even more of a priority for the Lakers, according to team and league sources.”

The Lakers have been linked to Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and Indiana Pacers veteran Myles Turner. 

“The Lakers have had interest in Kessler dating back to the offseason,” Buha wrote. “The Jazz have a sky-high asking price for him, one the Lakers might be unwilling to meet. Utah isn’t shopping him. If he gets traded, it will be because the Jazz were blown away by an offer. And that’s exactly what the Lakers should do: make an even more aggressive offer in the next week-plus.”

The Lakers are 26-19 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Western Conference standings under first-year head coach JJ Redick. 

Both Davis and LeBron James want the Lakers to make another trade before the NBA trade deadline. 

Los Angeles already made one trade this season, sending D’Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. 

“I only started playing the five in 2021,” Davis said after the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics. “I’d have stretches, but I was primarily a four. So my whole career I’ve been playing the four. And we’ve seen how I play. I just feel a little bit more effective (at the four). I mean, (playing the five) has its advantages and disadvantages. But the front office knows that. I’ve told them that every year I’ve been here. So it’s nothing new. But I just feel like, personally, I’m a better player at the four.”