Luka Dončić wants the Los Angeles Lakers to add an A-list center, and the search has already moved into specific names. Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler are among the players the Lakers have done due diligence on as they weigh how to reshape the front line around their guard.
A source close to Dončić said his “first and foremost desire is an A-list center.” That preference gives the Lakers a clear target type as they work through an offseason search that has included restricted free agents and a wider look at interior help.
Dončić and Rob Pelinka
Dončić remains in constant contact with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick while spending his summer in Slovenia with his daughters. The Lakers have spent this offseason evaluating center options, and the focus on a rim-protecting big lines up with what Dončić has tended to value alongside him: a player who can defend the paint and finish plays at the rim.
The search is not happening in a vacuum. The Lakers are trying to build around a franchise guard, and the middle of the floor has become the clearest roster pressure point. A frontcourt piece that can handle the rim and paint changes how the rest of the lineup can be arranged, especially against teams built around interior size.
Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler
Duren and Kessler stood out because both fit the exact request. Duren is 22 and just finished a season in which he played 70 games, averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.8 blocks, shot 65.0 percent from the field, and earned his first All-Star selection and All-NBA Third Team honors.
His postseason line adds another layer. Across 14 postseason games, he averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, and he scored under 10 points in seven of those games. That gives the Lakers a fuller picture of the player they are evaluating: efficient, productive, and young enough to fit into a long runway.
Detroit Pistons Push Back
Detroit has already pushed back. Someone inside the organization told Dave McMenamin, “Hey, tell Luka to leave [Jalen Duren] alone.” That line came after McMenamin said on NBA Today Thursday that he heard from inside the Pistons organization following the report on Dončić’s preference.
The resistance is straightforward. Duren is entering restricted free agency this summer, and Detroit can match any offer sheet a rival team puts in front of him. The Pistons have repeatedly signaled that they view him as a foundational piece alongside Cade Cunningham, which makes the Lakers’ path to him much steeper than a simple open-market chase.
That leaves the Lakers with a center search that still has multiple branches. Deandre Ayton carries a player option worth $8.1 million, while Peyton Watson and Tari Eason have been part of the broader evaluation of wing help. The immediate issue is still the same one Dončić put at the center of it: whether the Lakers can land the kind of big man he wants, or whether Detroit’s stance forces them to pivot to another name.
