The Los Angeles Lakers have their starting center. Their search for someone capable of keeping the position stable when Walker Kessler rests remains unfinished.
Jericho Sims is among the names on their radar.
Daniel Gafford has been the center most frequently linked to Los Angeles, making Sims a more surprising addition to the Lakers’ list of potential targets.
“Sims is a target,” Lakers reporter Jovan Buha said Thursday on his “Buha’s Block” podcast.
The Milwaukee Bucks center offers an attainable, athletic option on an expiring contract. Whether he offers enough rim protection to survive meaningful playoff minutes is the larger question.
Buha stopped well short of presenting Sims as a complete solution. He described the 27-year-old as relatively unproven and questioned whether he could provide the eight to 12 dependable minutes Los Angeles may need against the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
“I’m kind of TBD with Sims,” Buha said. “I think he’s gettable, but I just don’t know if he quite rises to that level.”
That uncertainty captures the Lakers’ problem. Finding another regular-season center is one task. Finding one whom coach JJ Redick would trust against the Western Conference’s best teams is another.
Lakers Still Need Insurance Behind Walker Kessler
Kessler is expected to anchor the Lakers’ defense after arriving in an offseason blockbuster with the Utah Jazz. His shot-blocking and vertical spacing address needs that became impossible to ignore during Los Angeles’ recent playoff exits.
But Kessler cannot play every minute.
Buha suggested his workload could rise to 36 or 38 minutes in major postseason games, perhaps even 40. That still leaves a stretch in which the Lakers must protect the rim without their starting center.
Redick has acknowledged that Kevon Looney and Sandro Mamukelashvili will receive backup-center minutes. Their skills solve different problems.
Looney supplies experience, rebounding and defensive awareness, but his declining mobility makes certain matchups difficult. Mamukelashvili provides shooting, passing and lineup flexibility, yet he is not a traditional back-line rim protector.
Sims would introduce a different athletic dimension.
The 6-foot-10 center averaged five points and 5.5 rebounds across 67 games for Milwaukee last season. His vertical explosiveness produced 95 dunks, giving Los Angeles a potential lob threat who could run the floor with Luka Doncic.
Jericho Sims Trade Would Be Financially Manageable
Sims exercised a $2.8 million player option for the 2026-27 season, making his contract easy to accommodate in a smaller trade.
Milwaukee’s own roster decisions could make him available. The Bucks are rebuilding their frontcourt around younger pieces following the departure of Giannis Antetokounmpo, leaving Sims without a guaranteed role despite his affordable salary.
Los Angeles must resolve a roster crunch of its own. The Lakers currently carry 16 guaranteed contracts, one above the regular-season maximum. Team president Rob Pelinka has said the team could consider a consolidation trade before opening night.
A Sims deal could help address both issues, though the Lakers would need to create a workable roster and salary structure.
The appeal is evident: Sims is inexpensive, athletic and obtainable. The hesitation is equally clear. He has not proved he can serve as the defensive safety net the Lakers would require in May.
For now, he is a target — but not yet an answer.
Lakers Insider Names Surprise Trade Target as Walker Kessler’s Backup