The Los Angeles Lakers have been extremely active over the last day, adding several pieces that should provide long-term support for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Whether the front office intends to keep pushing forward and addressing weaknesses on both ends of the floor remains to be seen, but with limited financial flexibility, they’ll need to get resourceful from here on out.
According to the latest intel, the Lakers did have designs on making another significant addition during the offseason, with one report indicating they were seriously intrigued by the possibility of swinging a deal for Jalen Duren.
But because they ultimately pivoted and pursued Walker Kessler instead, Detroit may now end up holding onto Duren as a result of L.A.’s choice to acquire Kessler.
As Sam Amick detailed, “Duren was told by the Lakers in the meeting that they view him as a maximum-salary level player, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations.”
There’s little reason to doubt the sincerity of L.A.’s interest in Duren, given how clear it was that they needed a center capable of connecting with Doncic offensively.
Yet with Kessler now in the fold, chasing Duren is not just unrealistic it’s essentially a non-starter, meaning the Pistons no longer have to sweat the Lakers trying to lure away their promising big man, who continues to be one of the more divisive names available in trade chatter right now.
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