Los Angeles Lakers star big man Anthony Davis has been rather vocal in wanting the front office to go out and get another big man to play alongside him.
While Davis is perfectly competent as a center, bringing in another body to endure the physical punishment of the position would further enable Davis to stay healthy as well as take advantage of some smaller forwards he’d be lined up against.
The Lakers (25-18) currently sit fifth in the Western Conference as of Jan. 27. While the wing spot may have been fortified with the acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith, depth up front behind Davis remains a major question mark.
Jaxson Hayes is a springy albeit inconsistent performer. Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler seemingly has been involved in trade rumors involving the Lakers for months. Knowing Danny Ainge runs the Jazz, you can bet he’ll try to extract every bit of juice from a possible trade package. Giving the Jazz two first-round picks for multiple years of Kessler control in the post-LeBron era doesn’t seem all that appetizing.
While Kessler is a fantastic shot blocker and a burgeoning double-double threat, he’s a non-existent threat from three and is an objectively horrible free-throw shooter.
A cleaner fit — and one that may cost less from an assets standpoint — is Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner. He’s averaging 15.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG on 47.9 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three.
Turner would do two things for the Lakers. For one, he’d give them another elite shot-blocking presence in the paint thus fortifying the defense further. Secondly, due to his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter, Turner can keep the floor spaced while Davis dominates in the paint.
Kessler would also give the team a shot-blocking presence. Having said that, due to him not spacing the floor with any regularity, things could get clunky for Davis specifically — not to mention James and his driving lanes.
Turner is in the final year of his contract. Reports indicate that Indiana might not be all-in on extending him. If this is the case, the salaries of Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Cam Reddish would pair with Turner’s existing deal. Throw in a first-round pick as a sweetener, and Indiana may be hard-pressed to say no.
If this hypothetical trade were to occur, you’d have the following rotation for a possible playoff series:
PG: Austin Reaves
SG: Max Christie
SF: LeBron James
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Myles Turner
Top rotation pieces: Dalton Knecht, Gabe Vincent, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes
This look would give the Lakers a big, long team with some real versatility. It also would most certainly increase the team’s probability of actually being competitive.