The Los Angeles Lakers are not content with their current center rotation, even with Walker Kessler locked in as the starter. Word from Jake Fischer is they’ve been actively scouting a bouncy Eastern Conference center, but it sounds like the whole deal is on thin ice before it even truly begins.
Looking for a Different Look in the Middle
Right now, the Lakers roll with Kessler, Kevon Looney, and Sandro Mamukelashvili in their big man room. Kessler’s the guy, obviously. Looney and Mamukelashvili split reserve minutes depending on matchups, with Sandro being more of a small-ball 5 and Looney handling the traditional duties. But Fischer reports the team wants to do more than just add frontcourt help; they’re also looking to trim their roster from 16 to 15 standard contracts. It’s clear they are looking for a specific type of player to round out their rotation, or maybe just a different vibe.
Who Is Jericho Sims, Anyway?
The guy they’ve been eyeing? Jericho Sims. He’s a sprightly, athletic, and maybe a tad undersized center at 6 feet 10 inches. Sims is entering his sixth year in the league, having played for the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks, but he hasn’t exactly cemented himself as a rotation player at either stop. Last season, though, he did log career highs with 67 games played and 1,318 minutes. The dude is an absolute dunking machine. Nearly 60% of his made field goals, 59.5% to be exact, have been dunks, totaling 250 across five seasons! We’re talking almost one dunk per game, or one every 15.6 minutes. Plus, 82.1% of his career shots are taken within three feet, and he converts an impressive 80.3% of those. His offensive game is pretty limited beyond those rim-rockers, and turnovers are a real issue, with a career 24.1% turnover rate. While he’s a lively mover, his defense sometimes gets undone by poor positioning and his size. Still, as an efficient play-finisher and a guy who can grab offensive boards, he could bring some value in a small role, especially with guys like Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves dishing dimes. It might even be the most favorable offensive environment of his career.
The Deal Is About to Fall Apart?
So, what’s the hang-up? Fischer detailed exploratory trade talks between the Lakers and the Bucks that would send former first-round pick Dalton Knecht and some second-round draft capital to Milwaukee in exchange for Sims. Sounds like a decent framework, right? But here’s the kicker: sources briefed on those talks are already expressing “pessimism” that such a trade will actually go through. That’s a huge bummer for Laker fans hoping for a new face in the frontcourt. While acquiring Sims probably wouldn’t be a game-changer for Los Angeles, it would diversify their center room and give them that athletic, above-the-rim finisher they’re reportedly after. With the season already here, the clock is ticking for the Lakers to firm up their roster and get past this “pessimism.” If this deal falls apart, they’ll be back to the drawing board trying to get their big man rotation just right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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