Lakers Projected to Make Their Boldest Move Yet To Build Around Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic is done waiting, and the Lakers are projected to go all in this summer to keep their promise.

Luka Doncic | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Knicks just won a championship, the Spurs showed what a young athletic roster looks like, and the Lakers watched both from home. For a team that won 50 games and looked like a genuine threat before April fell apart, that stings.

Luka Doncic led the NBA in scoring this season at 33.5 points per game, then tore his hamstring and never played a minute in the playoffs. That kind of what-if follows a franchise all summer and does not go away quietly.

He was cleared to return to basketball activities in late May and has been training in Slovenia since, but the distance has not meant silence. Doncic has stayed in regular contact with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick, and he has one very specific thing on his mind.

Luka Doncic Wants The Lakers To Land An A-List Center This Offseason

Luka Doncic | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

He wants an elite center, and according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, that has been his number one request since the day he arrived in Los Angeles over a year ago.

"Luka's first and foremost desire is an A-list center," the source said, via Dave McMenamin.

It is not hard to see why. SGA won the MVP this season, with Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama finishing second and third. All three play alongside or as dominant bigs, and Doncic, who finished fourth in the voting, knows exactly what that kind of frontcourt presence unlocks. Right now the Lakers simply do not have it.

Sources close to Doncic told McMenamin exactly how urgent this feels.

"Luka wants to be a championship team yesterday," a source close to Doncic said. "Ever since the trade, they've always told us: 'summer of '26. We'll show you in the summer of '26.' So, we are so excited that the summer of '26 is here."

The front office set that timeline themselves. Now Doncic is simply asking them to deliver, and the current roster makes it clear why the center spot is the first place they need to look.

Deandre Ayton started all season but the playoffs told a different story. He was consistently outplayed by Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the second round against Oklahoma City, finishing the series-ending Game 4 with just six points. His player option decision is due by June 29, but either way the Lakers are widely expected to search for a real upgrade at the position.

A-List NBA Centers Available In 2026 Free Agency Lakers Can Target

Jalen Duren | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Lakers have nearly fifty million in cap space, and there are names on the market worth genuine excitement.

Jalen Duren is the most compelling option. The Detroit big man averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds this season, earned his first All-Star and All-NBA selections, and is exactly the rim-running lob threat Doncic has been asking for. He is a restricted free agent, so Detroit can match any offer, but the Lakers are expected to push hard.

Walker Kessler out of Utah fits a similar mold, a shot-blocker and finisher around the rim who would thrive in pick-and-roll coverage with Doncic running the show. Also restricted, same matching risk applies.

If the Lakers want to avoid the restricted free agent gamble entirely, Isaiah Hartenstein is the cleanest unrestricted option. Oklahoma City faces serious cap pressure this summer and may not be able to keep him, which would put one of the better two-way centers in the league on the open market.

The summer of 2026 is here, just like the Lakers promised Doncic it would be. Now they have to actually show him something.

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