The center position is at the top of Rob Pelinka's summer to-do list once the Los Angeles Lakers' general manager figures out Austin Reaves' new deal and whatever is going on with LeBron James. Deandre Ayton isn't good enough to be LA's starting center moving forward; that much was made clear in 2025-26.
But who exactly will Pelinka land for the role? Isaiah Hartenstein felt like an awesome free-agent target for a while, but it looks like the Oklahoma City Thunder are intent on retaining him. Other free-agents-to-be, like Mitchell Robinson or Robert Williams III, aren't worth the injury risk.
In truth, there's going to be some level of risk involved with whomever the Lakers acquire at center, but a note to Pelinka: Let that risk be youth-based rather than injury-based.
Should the Lakers trade for Yves Missi?
It sounds like Pelinka will be pushed into the trade market for an Ayton upgrade, as the free-agent market won't be as flush with options.
Yves Missi, the New Orleans Pelicans' 22-year-old, 6-foot-11 center, has been thrown around in trade rumors virtually his entire career. It's not as much an indictment on Missi as it is an acknowledgement of his value/upside and the fact that, well, he plays for the Pelicans, a team that's been going nowhere for a while.
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported this week that Missi will once again factor into trade discussions during this summer's transaction cycle after the center was in plenty of those discussions at the deadline. Scotto also revealed that the Lakers were calling about Missi in February (along with multiple other teams).
Lakers had interest in Yves Missi at the deadline
"Former first-round pick Yves Missi was ... in various trade conversations leading up to the trade deadline," Scotto wrote. "Missi drew significant trade interest at the time, including from the Pacers, Hawks, Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, and Raptors."
Missi is just two seasons into his NBA career, but his production has been promising. He's averaged 11.5 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes for New Orleans in 139 regular-season games, 81 of those being starts. Missi's rim protection, most of all, is what appeals to the Lakers. The ingredients for a successful center on a Luka Doncic team aren't complicated: Rim protection and lob threat potential. Missi offers both.
He's also still on an affordable rookie-scale deal ($3.5 million in 2026-27, $5.6 million club option in 2027-28) that very much aligns with the Lakers' financial outlook at the moment. The Pelicans obviously love Missi, too, but they've found their franchise center in Derik Queen, making Missi expendable. Pelinka must be monitoring Missi's situation all offseason long, if he's doing his job correctly.
Add us as a preferred source on Google