The Los Angeles Lakers will almost certainly be one of the most active teams in the league this summer. As we enter the final stretch of LeBron James' career, the Lakers have no choice but to surround him with the best team possible to give themselves a shot at winning their 18th NBA title.
To do that, the Lakers have to find a long-term answer for their glaring hole at center. Because of their limited financial resources, this requires being aggressive on the trade market for at least two quality centers.
Lakers Can Partner With Division Rival for a Potential Win-Win Trade
For one of them, the Lakers could turn to a division rival. The Sacramento Kings have Jonas Valančiūnas under contract, a veteran big man who LeBron James has expressed interest in previously. The 33-year-old bruiser is not the rim protector or the athlete the Lakers are looking for, but he is a physical presence who can bring scoring and rebounding off the bench.
The Lithuanian center is set to make $10.3 million for the 2025-26 season, a salary that the Lakers can easily get to in a trade by moving Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, or Jarred Vanderbilt. Valančiūnas is not going to start, but could be an innings eater who could play around 20 minutes as the backup center.
Another fascinating wrinkle to this trade scenario could be including defensive guard Keon Ellis in the deal. Ellis would be an excellent fit in the backcourt next to Austin Reaves or Luka Dončić, as a three-and-D specialist. His $2.3 million salary for next season makes him an easy inclusion in the trade.
Once Ellis gets involved, the Lakers would probably need to include a first-round pick in the deal, on top of the matching salary. Regardless of the exact details of this trade possibility, it is certainly worth it for GM Rob Pelinka to give his counterpart in Sacramento a call sooner rather than later.