The Los Angeles Lakers are still without a true backup center to start the 2026-27 NBA season, and while Walker Kessler looked like a revelation on opening night, trading for another big man is still on the table for the team at some point this season.
Though the Lakers have been linked to several names in recent trade rumors, one new player could become available who might be the perfect fit to play alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves while backing up Kessler: Jaylin Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Williams has been a backup center for the Thunder over the past few years, but with the addition of Aday Mara, he could be sitting on the outside of the team’s rotation and perhaps become an ideal Lakers trade target.
Lakers Urged To Explore Jaylin Williams Trade
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Maxwell Ogden believes that, with the so-far quick rise of rookie Mara, the Thunder could make Williams expendable and potentially available in a trade.
“The Oklahoma City Thunder have created a four-player logjam in the frontcourt with starters Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, and reserves Aday Mara and Jaylin Williams. The Los Angeles Lakers have a need for depth at center. In rapidly approaching time, their interests may align,” he wrote. “Mara is already beginning to break out as a first-year player, which suggests that Williams’ days as a nightly rotational fit could be numbered. If that proves to be the case, then Los Angeles should be all in on a trade for Williams.”
Mara was drafted to help the Thunder add a Victor Wembanyama stopper, and through the preseason and his first NBA game, it looks like Oklahoma City was right to pick him up. As Ogden wrote, the team already has Holmgren and Hartenstein, so it’s unlikely they would keep four true bigs on the roster, which could make Williams a trade candidate.
“If all of these pieces fall into place, then the Lakers shouldn’t hesitate to at least kick the tires on a trade for a big who could fit perfectly alongside Luka Doncic and even Walker Kessler,” he added. “For a Lakers team in need of reliable interior defense and rebounding when Kessler isn’t playing, as well as a high-level screener to help Doncic and Austin Reaves, Williams is thus an ideal fit.”
Williams is in the second season of a three-year, $24 million contract, set to earn $7.7 million this season with a team option for 2027-28. That would be a very low price for the Lakers to pay, should the front office make him a top trade target.
While his 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists don’t necessarily jump off the page, playing in just 19.6 minutes per game last season with the Thunder, he’s one of the more efficient bigs in the NBA.
“Attaching draft compensation to a player like Jake LaRavia could at least get Oklahoma City on the phone, however, and kickstart conversations that may ultimately bring a third team into the mix,” Ogden wrote on the details of a potential Lakers’ trade for Williams. “There are admittedly moving pieces, but if the Lakers are wise, they’ll keep a close eye on the Mara and Williams situation as they weigh their trade options.”
Williams could very well be the Lakers’ next top trade target, as along with what he does on the court, he’s an enforcer that could protect Doncic and Reaves. He has championship experience, and he’s not afraid to get mean, and that’s an asset this roster could use.
Los Angeles Needs Center Depth
Along with the potential fit of Williams on the Lakers, the team is in need of another center in general.
Kessler is the main guy, and he proved the front office was right to send a haul of draft picks back to the Utah Jazz with his historic opening night performance against the Golden State Warriors.
However, outside of him, the team doesn’t necessarily have another reliable option in the frontcourt.
Kevon Looney is older and is more of a veteran. He doesn’t offer the same skill set as Kessler on both sides of the ball, and while still a decent body to throw out for 15-20 minutes a game, the Lakers could use an upgrade.
The front office also signed Sandro Mamukelashvili to play backup big man minutes, but he’s not a true center in the traditional sense. He’ll be used as a stretch-five when the Lakers need him, but when it comes to rim protection and the pick-and-roll game with the two star guards, he doesn’t have all the necessary tools.
With that, Williams could be the perfect Lakers trade target, as he’s played in the backup center role his entire career, and offers so much on the court the franchise needs right now.
It’s uncertain when or if he’ll become available from the Thunder, or what the trade asking price would be, but as Ogden said, if the Lakers even get a sniff that he could be on the way out, the team should pounce on the opportunity to land him and shore up the frontcourt depth.
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