The Lakers made their big move this summer in landing Walker Kessler, but there’s still work to be done in the front court.
In parting with both Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton this offseason, LA has holes to fill, even if they took care of the hard part. Kevon Looney was brought in but given his age and mileage and his drop in production, most don’t view him as the primary backup center.
The Lakers appear to be included in that mix as multiple recent reports have indicated they’re still in the market for a big man. But it’s a market that isn’t friendly to buyers right now, so not much headway has been made.
LA has at least one more move to make with the roster already at 16 players. With a chase for Jonathan Kuminga still on, though, it’s not clear how a backup center fits into the equation. It’ll likely have to be the Lakers taking a chance on an underutilized player buried on a roster.
One player who could fit that bill, and who has been mentioned with the Lakers multiple times this week, is Jericho Sims with the Bucks.
Dan Woike of The Athletic first brought him up as a potential option based on “conversations with both team and league sources” about the type of players the Lakers could target. Then, on Friday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reiterated that report, noting that the Bucks could have a roster crunch that forces a move.
Milwaukee, which has also been linked with interest in Peyton Watson, has a roster crunch and is looking to trim its roster from 17 to 15 players by opening night. As The Athletic’s Dan Woike noted, the Los Angeles Lakers could be a trade partner for Bucks center Jericho Sims.
The first thing worth noting is that the Lakers, too, have a roster crunch, so the two teams making a deal right now doesn’t make a ton of sense. For the purple and gold, they would need to do a lot of consolidating to get to a point to trade for Sims or, potentially, work out a multi-team trade.
There is logic, however, to Sims being a fit in LA. And LA has shown interest in him in the past, dating back to the 2025 trade deadline.
He’s an uber-athletic big man who amassed 95 dunks in 67 games last season. Comparatively, Hayes had 122 last season in 66 games. While his time with the Lakers was up-and-down, Hayes definitely had some moments in the purple and gold and the team did not replace his athleticism or lob-catching ability at center.
Sims, however, does have flaws. He leaves something to be desired defensively and is not a rim protector despite the athleticism. In many ways, he’s limited like Hayes in those regards.
His contract is friendly as he’s set to make $2.8 million this season after picking up a player option this offseason. It would also make him very easy to trade for, if the Lakers do end up going down that route.
But, again, many things must happen before then. Presumably, the Lakers are likely going to address their need for a wing with trade assets first before eyeing anything else. And to even open a roster spot, the Lakers will have to make a three-for-one trade, which is very unlikely as teams do not have three open roster spots at this point in the offseason.
If anything, this might be a player worth monitoring if he’s released due to the roster crunch or if he’s still buried on the Bucks’ bench when the season starts. But there are plenty of reasons it makes sense for the Lakers to be targeting Sims, if indeed they are.
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