Lakers insider mentions Goga Bitadze, Luke Kornet, others as ‘realistic’ options at center

It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for a center this offseason.

Los Angeles moved on from big man Anthony Davis at the trade deadline to acquire star guard Luka Doncic, but it created a hole on the roster in the process.

Los Angeles nearly added Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams in a trade before the deadline, but a failed physical from Williams ultimately nixed the deal. So, the Lakers spent the end of the 2024-25 season with Jaxson Hayes as their primary option at the center spot.

Recently, the Orange County Register’s Khobi Price broke down a list of centers that the Lakers could add this offseason, and he had some interesting players listed as “honorable mentions.”

“Honorable mentions: Orlando’s Goga Bitadze (two years, $15.3 million for 2025-27); Brooklyn’s Day’Ron Sharpe (potential restricted free agent); Luke Kornet (unrestricted free agent); Larry Nance Jr. (unrestricted free agent); Precious Achiuwa (unrestricted free agent),” Price wrote.

A former first-round pick, Bitadze could be an interesting trade target for the Lakers since he has a reasonable salary over the next two seasons.

During the 2024-25 season, Bitadze appeared in 70 games for the Orlando Magic, making 42 starts. He averaged 7.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. In each of the last two seasons, Bitadze has averaged over a block per game for Orlando.

The Lakers certainly need a defensive presence down low, as they were killed on the offensive glass by Rudy Gobert in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs. The Minnesota Timberwolves center finished with nine offensive rebounds (24 overall) and 27 points in that matchup.

Price also listed Boston Celtics big man Kornet as a potential option since he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Kornet played some important playoff minutes for the Celtics in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and he averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 block per game across 73 regular-season contests in the 2024-25 season.

While Bitadze and Kornet aren’t star big men, they could be upgrades over Hayes in the Lakers’ rotation. At the very least, they’d give the Lakers some much-needed depth if they do decide to bring Hayes back for the 2025-26 season.

The Lakers finished with the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-25 campaign, but they didn’t make it past the first round of the playoffs. They’re hoping for more success in their first full season with Doncic and LeBron James both on the roster next season.