The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need to add a starting-caliber center this offseason. Since they have limited resources in free agency, they will likely need to do so on the trade market. Using their draft capital and matching salary, they have to acquire a rim-protecting big man who can be a pick-and-roll partner with Luka Doncic.
That will almost certainly help push the Lakers to another tier among title contenders. LA was outmatched physically against the Timberwolves due to their lack of size and athleticism. Having a quality big man in the mix would solve a lot of the issues facing the Lakers.
However, that isn't the most important offseason move the Lakers can make.
The Luka Doncic Extension Is the Most Important Lakers' Offseason Move
Luka Doncic is eligible for a four-year, $228.6 million contract extension in August. If the Lakers can't sign him to that deal, anything else they do this offseason is completely irrelevant.
Doncic has one more year left on his current deal and has a player option for the 2026-27 season. He can decline that option and hit free agency in the 2026 offseason. That would be a disaster scenario for the Lakers.
To avoid that scenario, the Lakers have to make sure Doncic puts pen to paper on August 2nd. So far, the Slovenian superstar hasn't shown an indication that he wants to leave Los Angeles. At the same time, he didn't make the decision to sign with the Lakers, as he was traded there. There is a world in which Doncic wants to choose his own destination in 2026.
The Lakers need to convince Doncic that this is a franchise he can trust and win championships with. That likely involves working closely with him this offseason and making sure he has input in roster decisions. After that, the Lakers can give him the maximum deal he wants without any questions. If Doncic wants to wait it out, the Lakers will have failed on their most important offseason objective.