One of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA with the offseason officially underway is that the Los Angeles Lakers are in need of a center. They have been in the market for one since trading away Anthony Davis at the trade deadline, and one of the teams they’ve been in contact with the most is the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers have spoken to the Jazz hoping to acquire their young, defensive-minded center Walker Kessler. Those talks have not progressed much, with Utah’s asking price not being met by any teams. But that led to recent reports that the Lakers could take a run at Kessler’s teammate, forward John Collins.
Collins, 27, is coming off of a solid 2024-25 campaign and has a player option worth $26.6 million for the 2025-26 season. Trading for him would be feasible, although rumors suggest that the Lakers don’t actually have interest in him, via NBA inside Marc Stein:
Finding a front-line center remains a clear offseason priority for the Lakers, who have maintained a longstanding interest Utah’s Walker Kessler.
The Jazz, though, have made Kessler unavailable for some time, which might have contributed to reports last week that suggested L.A. has interest in trading for Kessler’s teammate John Collins.
Collins had a strong 2024-25 campaign, but I’m told any suggestion that the Lakers are a trade suitor for the 27-year-old is a mischaracterization.
Collins is a good player, undoubtedly. He averaged 19.0 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game on 52.7% from the field and 39.9% from 3 in 40 games in 2024-25. However, he is not a center and does not play defense like one. He doesn’t necessarily fit any needs the Lakers have beyond simply having some size.
The Lakers getting Collins — if they were actually interested — could be justifiable to add even more offensive talent, but it would in no way end their search for a big man. Regardless, it appears that interest was overstated to begin with, and the focus in Utah remains on Kessler.
Lakers trade target Daniel Gafford still trade eligible
One of the Lakers’ most prized center targets has been Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
Gafford has already proven himself to be a strong fit next to Luka Doncic, as they went to the NBA Finals in 2024 together. It was always going to be tricky for Dallas and L.A. to manufacture another trade after the unpopularity of the Doncic blockbuster, but the Lakers remained hopeful with Gafford entering the final year of his contract.
Instead, Gafford chose to re-sign with the Mavericks on a three-year extension worth just over $54 million. It is slated to keep him in Dallas through 2028-29, his age-30 season. However, Dallas signed him to the exact amount they needed to in order to keep their options open with regard to a trade.
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