The Los Angeles Lakers made a big-time move on Wednesday with the reported re-signing of star guard Austin Reaves.
Entering the 2026 NBA offseason, the future of Reaves was a big question mark. Other teams around the league had registered interest in poaching him from the Lakers, especially the Detroit Pistons.
When all was said and done, Los Angeles ended up working out a new four-year, $185 million maximum contract with Reaves. He will be Luka Doncic’s primary back-court running mate for years to come.
Following the move to re-sign Reaves, it sounds like the Lakers aren’t done. Rob Pelinka and the front office are still looking to make another high-impact move. This time, they want that move to come in the front-court.
As shared by Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, an NBA executive has shared that Los Angeles wants to bring in a new center.
“They’ve made it clear that they still want a big target, they want a center who can defend and give them something offensively,” one NBA executive said.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Lakers had Deandre Ayton manning the center position. He was solid, but nothing special. It sounds like Los Angeles would like to replace him with an upgrade.
Ayton played in 72 games, averaging 12.5 points, eight rebounds, and a block per game, while shooting 67.1 percent from the floor. Whether or not the Lakers will be able to find a real upgrade over Ayton remains to be seen, but that seems to be their next focus.
Obviously, another storyline to watch for Los Angeles will be the LeBron James situation. He remains a free agent, although reports have come out that the Lakers have been in discussions with him about a new deal. Whether or not he returns for another season will be a major factor in how the team approaches the rest of the offseason.
Expect to hear more news and rumors about Los Angeles in the near future. It’s clear that the Lakers want to build out a championship caliber around Doncic this offseason. The work is just beginning.
