Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić wants to play with an “A-list center,” according to reports. The Slovenian himself told fans that he prefers a big man, “who can run the pick-and-roll and jump to the rim.”
After Dončić gave his team his priorities for next season, Lakers supporters have been asking about who should be their next starting big man, and league insider Dan Woike answered those inquiries with a report on Sunday.
NBA Insider Identifies Yves Missi as Perfect Fit Next to Luka Dončić for Lakers
The Lakers needed to address the center position even before Dončić made his comments. After the 2025–26 season ended, Jaxson Hayes became an unrestricted free agent, while Deandre Ayton has an $8.1 million player option.
With both uncertain to return, the Lakers could finally build the frontcourt around the six-time All-Star.
During Woike’s question-and-answer interaction with basketball observers, a fan asked him about who the Lakers’ future center could be. He responded that Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler is a name LA has been checking on, but Woike believed the Jazz would keep the 7-foot-2 behemoth.
Woike brought up another name as a potential alternative if Kessler is out of reach.
“Does Yves Missi have the right set of skills to completely thrive in a Dončić system? It seems like it. Can he do it in high-leverage moments as Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II did in Dallas? Very ‘to be determined,’” Woike wrote.
When Dončić led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, he had Gafford and Lively as his lob threats and rim-running big men.
Hayes was built in the same mode but was often inconsistent. Ayton pushed back against that role, calling out his team in February this past season for turning him into a Clint Capela, according to McMenamin.
Missi, who signed a $15.7 million rookie contract in 2024, has been the primary backup center for the New Orleans Pelicans, a role that will likely continue with Derik Queen impressing the team following a stellar rookie campaign.
Still, New Orleans, which finished this past season with a 26-56 record, could use Missi’s physical play, nose for the ball, defense, and rebounding to improve.
Woike added that the Lakers are in “a bit of bad luck” in their search for a “rim-running, and rim-protecting center at a time when there aren’t many of them in the league.” LA also does not have the cap flexibility after addressing major needs to look for elite centers.
Missi is within LA’s price range, but it remains to be seen if the Pelicans will trade him to a fellow Western Conference team or make him available at all.
