It remains to be seen what direction the Los Angeles Lakers are headed in free agency, but they need to address the center position beyond just bringing back Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes.
The two best on the market are both restricted free agents in Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz and Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons. While restricted free agent offer sheets are typically a tough market to get into, the Lakers have reported interest in both Kessler and Duren in the past and it appears both players are far apart in negotiations to return to their current teams.
With that being the case, both Duren and Kessler will hold meetings with other teams at the start of free agency on Tuesday afternoon, per NBA insider Chris Haynes and Tony Jones of The Athletic:
BREAKING: Due to sizable distance apart in negotiations, Detroit Pistons restricted free agent center Jalen Duren will meet with the Sacramento Kings at the start of free agency with the intentions of structuring a sign-&-trade out of Detroit. pic.twitter.com/rzUZWy2iJF
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 29, 2026
Utah Jazz restricted free agent center Walker Kessler and his representatives will hold meetings with multiple teams as free agency begins Tuesday evening, league sources tell The Athletic. The meetings will be held in Los Angeles at CAA’s headquarters
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 29, 2026
Then, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers will also get a meeting with Duren on a call:
More intel on Jalen Duren coming in: League sources tell @TheAthletic he now has a call with the Lakers scheduled for tomorrow.
Another sign-and-trade scenario emerges… https://t.co/DziAPKMxxR
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 29, 2026
While the Lakers were not listed for Kessler, it’s hard to believe they won’t at least meet with him in addition to Duren. Rob Pelinka and Co. could certainly look elsewhere to upgrade the center position, but if they want an A-lister like Luka Doncic is reportedly asking for then Kessler and Duren are their best options.
The Sacramento Kings potentially sending back former All-Star Domantas Sabonis in a sign-and-trade for Duren may not be something the Lakers can compete with, but it will be interesting to see if L.A. go all out on a max offer sheet for Kessler to try to pry him away from Utah.
As free agency gets underway on Tuesday and these meetings take place, the Lakers’ plan for the center position and the roster as a whole should come into focus.
Deandre Ayton picks up Lakers player option
The Lakers learned on Monday that Ayton will be picking up his $8.1 million player option to return to the team for the 2026-27 season. Now that he is under contract though, the Lakers could include him in a sign-and-trade offer for Kessler or Duren, or any deal they look to make if they want to go in a different direction.
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