Report: Lakers ‘in talks’ to acquire another center after landing Deandre Ayton

The Los Angeles Lakers might have found their center of the future on Wednesday after the position had been a glaring area of need for the team since it traded star big man Anthony Davis. Former Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers big man Deandre Ayton — who was also the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — agreed to sign a two-year deal with the storied franchise.

Despite the fact that the Lakers now have a capable starting center for the 2025-26 season, the team isn’t done looking for more help at the position. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers are currently “in talks” to acquire another center via free agency who would serve as Ayton’s backup.

“They’re still working to shore up their frontcourt depth,” Charania said on SportsCenter on Thursday. “I’m told they’re in talks with multiple free agents on bringing a center to Los Angeles as well to back up Deandre Ayton. We’ll see between now and the next several days—look for them to potentially lock in another center.”

A lot of the top centers in this year’s free-agent class have already agreed to new deals. Players like Myles Turner, Luke Kornet, Brook Lopez, Kevon Looney and Clint Capela are all off the market.

The market for centers has dried up in some sense, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any capable players at the position still available. Veteran Al Horford has yet to make up his mind as to whether he will play another season in the NBA or retire, but there has been some buzz linking him to L.A. It’s unclear if the Ayton deal hurt the team’s chances at landing him.

Horford has a strong track record and would make a lot of sense as a backup to Ayton. Playing Horford reserve minutes would help to keep his legs fresh for the 2026 NBA Playoffs, and he could still provide the Lakers with great 3-point shooting and versatile defense off the pine, even at 39 years old.

The one-time NBA champ averaged 9.0 points on 36.3 percent shooting from deep to go along with 6.2 rebounds per game with the Boston Celtics this past season.

Horford’s situation will be one worth monitoring for the near future, and with any luck, he will be backing up Ayton in Los Angeles in the 2025-26 season. He’s not the star big man he once was but has the skill set to be an elite backup center.