Lakers lined up to replace LeBron James with a big-name center originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t going to find another LeBron James somewhere.
But with his salary off the books, they’ve got a chance to replace him. It just might be with a center.
A report from insider Brett Siegel on Tuesday suggests that either Walker Kessler or Jalen Duren could be the solution for L.A.:
With LeBron James officially leaving the Lakers, expect LA to make a big move to find their center of the future in either Jalen Duren or Walker Kessler.
I’d be surprised if they didn’t land one of them in the coming days.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 30, 2026
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Duren is a bit of a surprise in the last day or two.
He just had the best season of his career for the Detroit Pistons, but he struggled in the playoffs, and now it sounds like the Pistons don’t want to give him a max deal that Duren is looking for.
The Lakers have Deandre Ayton, but Duren would be a huge addition, and they could figure out the rest later.
Kessler is more of a throwback center, a huge man who protects the rim. The Utah Jazz could look to deal him as they figure out the construction of their rebuilt roster.
Both would be fun adds for the Lakers, and they’d change their overall court balance a bit from a team that previously had James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Doncic and Reaves can still make all the plays. Adding in a talented frontcourt player could be a solid way to replace LeBron.
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