Report: Agents, rival teams don’t think Lakers have found their ‘center of the future’

After Deandre Ayton was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers in the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers swooped in and signed him for pennies on the dollar.

The former No. 1 overall pick is more talented than Jaxson Hayes by leaps and bounds, and he’s been great for the Lakers in recent games after a lackluster debut.

He’s scored 15-plus points and grabbed eight-plus rebounds in every one of Los Angeles’ last three games, and he went off for 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings recently on Oct. 26.

Still, rival teams and agents around the league still hold the belief that the storied franchise has yet to find its center of the future. Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and Detroit Pistons big man Jalen Duren were mentioned as potential targets by insider Jake Fischer.

“From Walker Kessler to Jalen Duren to every other center that’s going to hit the open market next year, the fact that the Lakers are set to have cap space, agents and rival teams are looking at the Lakers as not having found their center of the future,” Fischer said.

Duren and Kessler stand out as two players who fit the Lakers’ winning timeline with Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic better than Ayton does. Duren is barely old enough to legally consume alcohol considering he’s 21, while Kessler just turned 24 not all that long ago in July.

They’re also far more consistent defensive players compared to the 27-year-old Ayton. Kessler is already one of the premier rim protectors in the league, and as for Duren, he’s a rebounding machine. On the other hand, Ayton has received plenty of flak for his defensive effort — or lack thereof — throughout his time in the pros.

While the Lakers aren’t loaded with assets to make a trade, there’s a chance they could sign Duren, Kessler or another center on the open market in the offseason. There’s also a chance that they bring back Ayton, and rival agents and teams maybe should consider more seriously the possibility that Ayton is the Lakers’ starting center for the long haul if he continues to play at a high level.

Hopefully, Ayton will continue his stretch of strong play when the Lakers do battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. A win for Ayton and the Lakers would elevate them to 3-2 on the season ahead of their first NBA Cup contest of the season on Halloween.