Luka Doncic might not be pushing LeBron James or Austin Reaves to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers right now, but it appears he is trying to convince a certain big man to come over. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin’s comments on NBA Today on Thursday suggest Doncic has been speaking to Detroit Pistons star Jalen Duren.
“I already heard from someone in the Detroit organization today that said, ‘Hey, tell Luka to leave JD alone,'” McMenamin said. “But I reported Luka, even though he’s overseas in Slovenia right now, he has been in constant communication with Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick… The initial kind of message that Luka gave to the Lakers is get me an A-list center. And we’ll see who fits that bill.
“Like those are the two top restricted free agents we’re talking about,” McMenamin continued. “Walker Kessler and certainly Jalen Duren, an All-Star who had the best year of his career.”
Doncic has openly spoken about shooters and a big man who is effective in the pick-and-roll as the types of players he wants around him. The 27-year-old recruited Deandre Ayton to the Lakers last summer, but the signing didn’t quite work out. While Ayton had some good stretches of play, he also had some bad ones, and it’s clear that an upgrade is needed.
Duren would be that. The 22-year-old averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Pistons in 2025-26.
Duren became an All-Star for the first time in 2026 and also made the All-NBA Third Team. He is exactly the kind of rim-runner and athlete that Doncic would want at the center spot.
Now, the concern obviously with Duren is that he struggled massively in the playoffs. He put up 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, and was one of the biggest reasons why the Pistons, the No. 1 seed in the East with a 60-22 record, didn’t really impress in the postseason.
You’d back Doncic to get the best out of Duren, though. The big man would also greatly benefit from playing on a team that has more shooters. Spacing was an issue with the Pistons, but that’s unlikely to be the case with the Lakers.
Now, all this said, the biggest issue, of course, is that Duren is a restricted free agent, as McMenamin stated. The Pistons can match any offer the Lakers put on the table and retain their big man.
So, Doncic and the Lakers might be better off looking at other options, but there aren’t too many good ones on the market. Walker Kessler is maybe the only one, but he is also a restricted free agent, and the Utah Jazz would match any offer. The Pistons and Jazz won’t let a valuable asset walk out the door for nothing.
Once you get past these two, there isn’t really any A-lister on the market. Mitchell Robinson is probably the third-best center available, and he should probably be your backup, not a starter.
A trade is looking like the Lakers’ best bet to get an upgrade at center. Their longtime target and Doncic’s former teammate, Daniel Gafford, is reportedly someone the Dallas Mavericks are most open to trading now. Gafford would prove to be a solid addition.
It will be interesting to see the direction the Lakers end up going in. They reportedly told Doncic that the summer of 2026 is when they’ll give him a championship roster. They’d better keep that promise.
