Lakers Target Jakob Poeltl as Raptors Grapple with Center Crisis Amid Trade Buzz

The Los Angeles Lakers will have to get busy in the offseason, and their biggest priority is to grab at least one or two centers to give their superstar, Luka Doncic, all the help he needs. The Lakers’ lack of center crisis has been a hot topic ever since they traded away Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in February of 2025, and with no true, reliable, center as a go to option, the Lakers were humiliated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Entering the 2025 playoffs, the Lakers somehow secured the third seed in the West, as rookie head coach JJ Redick did a phenomenal job in the regular season even with the Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic trade in the middle of the season. Initially, the Lakers looked unstoppable even without a true center, but we all knew that it was not going to last for long. Fast forward to the postseason, and the Timberwolves exposed the Lakers’ lack of size, as they had no answers for Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert’s length. They were knocked off the playoffs in five games, and now they have are trying to acquire a center who can patrol the paint, and score off lobs and a player that JJ Redick can trust when the playoffs come around.

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The Lakers Are Trying Targeting Jakob Poeltl of the Toronto Raptors

The Lakers are desperate to get a starting caliber center, and one of the biggest names that has emerged is Jakob Poeltl, who played for the Toronto Raptors last season. Poeltl is coming off of his career best season where he averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steal, and 1.2 blocks. He was extremely efficient scoring the ball as he was shot 62.7 percent off the field, despite averaging the most field goal attempts he’s ever done in his 9 year NBA career.

Raptors’ Center Crisis: Balancing Youth and Stability Without Poeltl

The Toronto Raptors are on the same boat, when it comes to their center problems. They don’t have any center under contract for the 2025-26 season, and have not yet found a backup center to replace Poeltl. While their President, Masai Ujiri, has expressed that he wants a rookie to fill Poeltl’s role as a center in the upcoming season, laying that amounts of expectation on a rookie is simply not feasible. Poeltl has played for 9 seasons, and he took his time to develop his game into what it is today.

The Lakers will be actively hunting for at least one or two centers in the offseason, and look for Poeltl to be a big free agency target this off season. The Lakers could also go for other centers including Jared Jackson Jr., Clint Capela, and John Collins, who can all help with paint defense, and catch lobs off of LeBron James, and Luka Doncic.

Also Read: Lakers’ Center Crisis- Feasible Trade Options for the 2025 NBA Offseason