Lakers Urged to Snag Feisty NBA Champ Center as the Ultimate Walker Kessler Backup

The Los Angeles Lakers still need a real backup center to share the load behind Walker Kessler. Kessler showed he can ball out on opening night, but the front office knows they cannot rely on just one big man for a deep playoff run.

Enter Jaylin Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Williams is a physical, hard-playing big man who already has a championship ring. He plays with a lot of grit, something the Lakers desperately need behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

So why would Oklahoma City let him go? The Thunder have a crowded frontcourt. They have Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein as starters, and rookie Aday Mara is already making waves. With four bigs on the roster, Williams could easily fall out of the rotation and become a trade candidate.

For the Lakers, Williams is a perfect match. He is a great screen setter, which will help free up Doncic and Reaves. He can also bang bodies and grab rebounds when Kessler is on the bench. He isn’t going to score 20 points a night, but he does the dirty work that wins games.

And his contract is a bargain. He is making $7.7 million this season, with a team option for the year after. For a player with championship experience and real rim protection, that is a steal.

But the Lakers won’t get him for nothing. Oklahoma City will likely want a young player like Jake LaRavia, plus some draft assets, to even start talking. Still, if the Lakers want to fix their center depth problem, keeping an eye on Williams is a smart move. He is exactly the type of tough, experienced big man who could help them make a serious run.