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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have already begun their offseason, as the team tries to work out how many–and which–of the eight prominent free agents on the payroll they will bring back. The was able to begin talking to their own free agents as far back as Sunday, and that’s been an ongoing process.

But part of deciding which players to bring back is also deciding which will be renounced and how much commensurate cap space the Lakers can create on their books in doing so. That will set up the Lakers to make a run a different players on the market as they seek to upgrade the roster. And there is no question that, as well as the Lakers played in stretches–especially in a second half run of 16 wins in 18 games–the team needs an overall upgrade of talent.

That means the Lakers are exploring players at all positions. But the team is being tooled around the talents, and needs, of star guard Luka Doncic. To make that work, Doncic knows what he needs first and foremost–a versatile big man who can defend the paint and finish at the rim.

Lakers Cap Space Must Yield a Center in Free Agency

As the Lakers proceed through the offseason that is the priority, according to executives around the NBA. They will look at wings and guards, but the primary goal must be to land a big man. That’s been the source of speculation on the Lakers’ involvement with Jazz restricted free agents Walker Kessler, and it is the primary reason the Lakers could nose around trades for the likes of Daniel Gafford in Dallas or Nic Claxton in Brooklyn.

The free-agent pickings are slim, but the Lakers are known to have interest in Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams of the Blazers.

As one NBA executive told Heavy Sports recently, “They’re going to find a big man, I think that is their line in the sand. That’s probably the big change there, it’s the thing they’ve been talking about for the last few years, really.”

And the exec left no doubt as to why: “Luka Doncic needs a big guy.”

Center Has Been a Problem for Years

Indeed, the Lakers’ futility at the center position has been a major problem going back to their championship season in 2020, when they thrived with a combo of JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard. The Lakers then tried to play Anthony Davis at center, over his own objections. Last year, it was Deandre Ayton in the middle, and he could opt in to return to the team. The Lakers would prefer he enter free agency, though.

Before Ayton, it was Jaxson Hayes (who is likely to return as a reserve), and the likes of Thomas Bryant, Wenyen Gabriel, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell and Andrew Drummond–all washed up, short-term solutions that were not solutions at all.

The Lakers, however things play out with James and Reaves and the more prominent free agents on the board, need to get things solved in the middle, and around the league, the expectation is that their focus will remain there.