Pelinka faces major obstacles when looking for center: Lakers must pay more fees or assets

According to Nico Martinez, a special contributor to US sports media F/W. After a successful NBA draft cycle, the Los Angeles Lakers have turned their attention to other means of improving the team. Next month, free agents will begin and while the market is somewhat limited, there are still several big names to choose from. Lakers general manager Robert Pelinka is also actively involved in trade discussions throughout the league, but he faces a new obstacle that prevents any progress in the trade.

"The team knows how desperate the Lakers are to add a center and start asking for prices in Mark Williams' trades, often getting higher," Lakers insider Anthony Irving wrote on X. "The Lakers don't want to be exploited. They think the Hawks Capela is the starter."

Since they gave up Anthony Davis since trading Luca Doncic, the Lakers have been lacking in frontcourt. Forced to rely on Jaxon Hayes and Maxi Cleber, who failed to pass the first round, the front desk has made finding the right replacement their priority.

After revoking Mark Williams' deal and getting out of the draft, the Lakers' situation became increasingly desperate, with teams across the league using it to exploit it, trying to squeeze whatever assets they can. For example, in Capela's case, the Hawks wanted more than just what the Lakers were willing to offer, the Lakers were a package deal centered around Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and multiple draft picks.

While the Lakers may see him as a role player, Capela is a major upgrade to their current rotation and they will have to pay a high price to add him to their roster. With limited assets and little cap flexibility, the Hawks didn’t make it easier for the Lakers to find their center.

Pellinka has also been interested in acquiring Walker Kessler from the Jazz. He is a young big guy who is perfect for Luca Doncic, but the Jazz reportedly want multiple first-round picks and the sacrifice is still too big. Unless the Lakers can also get John Collins back in the trade, they are unlikely to meet Utah’s requirements. The sad reality of this offseason is that the Lakers seem to have lost all their chips. As the league learns about their offseason plans, no team will continue playing without bonuses, and because the Lakers refuse to be exploited, this has hindered any progress in the deal.

Every day there is the possibility that another center will be taken from the board, and if the Lakers don't act as soon as possible, all their top choices may become out of reach. If they are willing to pack Kneckett or give up their last remaining draft pick, this should be enough to make someone excellent, but they can’t make the wrong choice.

Patience will be the key to the Lakers this summer, and it is important for them not to rush to fill out the roster. While they may get low-priced offers now, things may change when the July free agent period begins.