Report: Bigs linked to Lakers dating back to last season include Kessler, Okongwu, Claxton, Williams

It seems that the Los Angeles Lakers have dealt with a never-ending wave of being associated with big men in rumors for some time.

Even when the Lakers employed one of the best big men in the league in Anthony Davis, they were getting linked to bigs in rumors, and the team’s need for a capable player at the position has only become more glaring since his departure.

NBA insider Dave McMenamin recently revealed some bigs the storied Lakers franchise has been connected to at one point or another since last season.

“But rumors swirled this week, linking L.A. to trade talks with the Utah Jazz for center Walker Kessler and the Miami Heat for wing Andrew Wiggins, and representatives for both [Austin] Reaves and [Gabe] Vincent were not contacted about any of the teams involved, sources told ESPN, which is customary when a trade nears the finish line,” McMenamin wrote.

“Kessler was one of the centers L.A. inquired about last season before the [Mark] Williams trade, sources told ESPN, but Utah’s asking price — multiple first-round picks — was too steep. The 23-year-old 7-footer averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds (including a league-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds) and 2.4 blocks in his third season with the Jazz.

“Beyond his age fitting with [Luka] Doncic’s timeline, Kessler is owed only $4.9 million next season and would have a relatively small cap hold in the summer of 2026, allowing L.A. to pursue other free agents along with holding his Bird rights to be able to extend him.

“The Lakers called the Atlanta Hawks about their 6-10, athletic big man Onyeka Okongwu last season, sources told ESPN. Other centers under contract that the Lakers have mulled internally since last season include Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Portland’s Robert Williams III, sources told ESPN. Among the other free agent big men L.A. could target are veterans Clint Capela, Al Horford and Brook Lopez.”

Kessler might just be the most talented big mentioned by McMenamin, and he’s just 23 years old and won’t turn 24 until next month. He was a key piece for Utah during the 2024-25 season and seemingly has the potential to develop into one of the league’s top two-way centers one day. He’s already a strong interior scorer, rebounder and rim protector.

Okongwu is a name that hasn’t been connected to the Lakers as much as some other players cited by McMenamin, but he’s a highly talented young center as well. He lacks the size that Kessler has, but he may have a more well-rounded offensive game, as he averaged 13.4 points per game in the 2024-25 campaign and attempted 2.0 3s per contest to boot.

Claxton and Williams, meanwhile, have shown an ability to be double-double threats and strong defenders when at their best.

Moving on to the free-agent options McMenamin mentioned the Lakers could target, all three of Capela, Horford and Lopez have likely already played their best basketball at the highest level, but they could be affordable options to turn to if Los Angeles can’t pull off a trade for someone else.

With any luck, at least one of the plethora of big men McMenamin mentioned will be a member of the Lakers by the time the 2025-26 season commences. L.A. may be just a big man away from taking the next step in the championship conversation.