LA Lakers were targeting newly acquired Milwaukee Bucks star as Mark Williams alternative

Had the Los Angeles Lakers made this trade instead, they would have another big man to add to the depth chart.

After the NBA trade deadline came and went, the Los Angeles Lakers were clear winners.

Not only did they add Luka Doncic to be the face of the franchise after LeBron James retires , but they paired him with Mark Williams, a high-level lob threat who can rebound and block shots.

However, after the deadline, Williams failed his physical and the Lakers revoked the trade , adding back Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and the two picks sent away in the trade.

With the deadline now past, the Lakers cant make a move to add a center unless they find one on the buyout market, and the San Antonio Spurs added Bismack Biyombo, limiting the Lakers options.

Lakers were targeting a Jericho Sims For much of the season, the Lakers had been linked to Jakob Poeltl, Jonas Valanciunas, Walker Kessler, and any other serviceable big man.

After trading for Doncic, it became clear that age would be a factor in their continued search, and Williams is young enough to be a long-term running mate for the Slovenian superstar.

However, Williams wasnt the only target on the Lakers radar.

The Lakers considered adding bruising 6-10 center Jericho Sims, sources said, before he was moved from New York to Milwaukee on Wednesday for Delon Wright as an addition to the Kyle Kuzma-for-Khris Middleton deal, reported Dave McMenamin .

Sims would have fit the stuff around the margins category that Pelinka vowed the team would explore during Doncics introductory news conference Tuesday because, the GM said, the market for bigs right now ...

is very dry.

Theres just not a lot available.

Lakers will be active this offseason With Doncic not due for a contract extension until the summer of 2026 and Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, and Markieff Morris all set to enter free agency this summer, the Lakers will have some money to spend on a center, or they could try and flip Knecht again on the trade market.

The 2025 free agent class is headlined by Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, and Myles Turner, so there arent exactly any quality long-term fixes for the Lakers down low.

They could very easily add a bandaid solution for a few seasons next to Doncic, but if they want to find a running mate for Doncic, a trade this offseason makes more sense.

Bam Adebayo might find himself on the market with the recent success of Kelel Ware for the Miami Heat, and Nic Claxton might still be on the market this offseason.

The Lakers do not own a first-round pick in 2025, so they will have to wait until the second round to nab a rookie..

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