Just when the rumors linking Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren to the Los Angeles Lakers are picking up steam, a new name entered the chat. Prominent NBA insiders confirmed that the Lakers are in hot pursuit of elite size and tactical versatility while in talks with Kessler and Duren. As NBA free agency opens, Marc Stein revealed that the Lakers have shown significant, direct interest in big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.

None of this is happening in a vacuum. The Lakers’ center search has one clear author: Luka Doncic. Since arriving in LA, Doncic has made one roster preference clear to Pelinka and Redick- the same one he voiced in his first days with the team, an “A-list center” who can anchor the paint against the Wembanyamas and Jokics of the West. That standing request is the real engine behind everything that follows. Mamukelashvili, Duren, Kessler, all of it.

To the uninitiated, the 6’9″ Georgian became one of the market’s most intriguing free agents this offseason after declining his $2.8 million player option with the Toronto Raptors. According to sources, Mamukelashvili is commanding a staggering $10 million interest on the open market after a career year where he averaged 11.2 points and shot an impressive 38.9% from three-point range.

Head coach JJ Redick is reportedly enamored by Mamukelashvili’s perimeter skill set and size that make him an ideal floor spacer. However, Mamu is only a small factor in a massive frontcourt equation the Lakers are trying to overhaul.

They’re reportedly courting established starters for their premium rim protection. Rob Pelinka’s team is seemingly hedging their bets by not only pursuing the Mamu but also by setting up meetings in Southern California for critical face-to-face recruitment sessions with Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler.

Lakers meeting up with Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren amid free agency

According to reports from The Athletic, Lakers staffers are scheduled to meet directly with Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren to discuss possible sign-and-trade scenarios. Simultaneously, Utah Jazz standout Walker Kessler has finalized plans to thoroughly test the restricted free-agent market and is actively meeting with multiple rival teams directly in Los Angeles.

These meetings also land at a specific moment for the roster. Deandre Ayton, last year’s starting center, has already exercised his own player option to stay in LA.

Both Kessler and Duren are the latest favorites for the Lakers, who need their youth and defensive skills. Navigating offers for restricted free agents remains a notorious financial hurdle, though.

While the Jazz and Pistons hold the contractual rights to match any standard offer sheets, league insiders suggest that LA could use the available $51 million cap space to lure one of them.

Duren is reportedly demanding a $40 million pay bump, with plenty of other teams courting him. Kessler, meanwhile, has a strained relationship with the Jazz. If the Lakers make an offer that Utah can’t match, they could force a sign-and-trade to get him instead.

The Lakers’ aggressive pursuit of a center also aligns with Luka Doncic’s reported preferences. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Doncic is “known to be a fan of Duren’s game,” making the 21-year-old one of the more intriguing targets for Los Angeles.

Amick noted that while the Lakers may lack the player assets to outbid rivals, they could leverage their available salary cap space in a deal, with Doncic’s endorsement viewed as a significant factor in any potential pursuit.

Amick also reported that the Lakers’ strongest trade assets may be future draft capital rather than established players, potentially allowing Detroit to absorb Duren into Los Angeles’ cap space if discussions advance.

With Doncic expected to play a central role in shaping the franchise’s roster moving forward, his reported admiration for Duren only adds another layer to the Lakers’ interest.

That’s the theory, anyway. Pelinka doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to personnel moves, and the Lakers’ recent history at center backs that up.

Last summer’s answer to the position wasn’t a marquee signing but a value pickup off the buyout market in Ayton.

It’s the same pattern now shadowing this pursuit- talk big on Kessler and Duren, and quietly prepare to settle for the cheaper name if the big offer sheet never gets signed.

If negotiations for Duren or Kessler prove too expensive or fail to materialize, Mamukelashvili offers LA a more affordable alternative, one that, given Pelinka’s history, may end up being less of a fallback and more of the likely outcome.

While he doesn’t provide the same level of rim protection, his floor-spacing ability and offensive versatility fit the style JJ Redick is expected to emphasize, giving the Lakers another frontcourt option as free agency unfolds.