The Los Angeles Lakers were apparently told by Luka Doncic and his camp that Walker Kessler was the dream center teammate for him moving forward. Doncic was confirmed to tell the Lakers that an upgrade at the center position for paint defense was his top wish for the franchise to put a contending roster around him. Unfortunately, fan reaction has been mixed with many questioning losing LeBron James and other players to prioritize Kessler.
Dan Woike of The Athletic reported the following update about Luka’s role in the Lakers trading for Kessler:
“It starts with Kessler, a player Doncic wanted at center most of all. The future first-rounders lost will certainly come back to sting the Lakers at some point. In addition to representing young, cost-controlled talent, those picks were also pathways out of unforeseen trouble — assets they can use to get off a bad contract or to upgrade a weakness. The Lakers sacrificed that flexibility for a player they believe fits “perfectly” alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves, a team source told The Athletic.”
Doncic viewed Kessler as the best option for center, and the Lakers sacrificed two draft picks and a lot of money to land him. The belief is that Kessler’s elite defense will be able to mask the defensive flaws of Luka and Austin Reaves if defenders get past them to drive into the paint.
Lakers Sacrificed LeBron James For Kessler
The big reason for concern of this trade stems from whether the Lakers have enough to contend for an NBA Championship. LeBron was a top three player all last season and stepped up as the top player to defeat the Houston Rockets in the first round, despite losing Doncic and Reaves to injury.
The report of James and the Lakers parting ways did add that the Lakers hoped to keep him. However, LeBron partially wanted out due to the lack of communication and recent reports confirming that the franchise hoped to move on from him to add more relevant pieces.
James realized that he wasn’t a priority and let the Lakers move forward with their future. Lakers fans don’t appreciate losing LeBron, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes all in one offseason. The return haul of Edwards, Collin Sexton, and Quentin Grimes provide little hope for realistic title contention.
Luka Doncic Will Get Criticized If Trade Fails
The Lakers took a huge gamble on Kessler by both trading two picks to the Utah Jazz for him and paying him over $30 million per season. Kessler is considered a great young defensive center with upside to do more on offense.
However, injuries have hurt his progression over the past two seasons. Kessler played just five games for the Jazz this past season, so he’ll have to deliver a full season of good health to provide hope for the future.
If the trade fails due to Kessler getting hurt again or just not being good enough to be a top three player on a contending team, Doncic will get a lot of blame. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka took some huge risks this offseason to ensure Luka got his dream center, but there is a realistic chance of failure.
Walker Kessler Was Luka Doncic’s Dream Center Teammate