For the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ most glaring weakness has been their big man position. That was further exacerbated last year when they traded for Luka Doncic. While they gained a star to build their future around, they also lost Anthony Davis, who is arguably the best big man that’s played for them since Pau Gasol.

This summer, though, the Lakers’ front office is in a unique position to shore up that position. Interestingly, that can be accomplished by reacquiring AD. At least, that’s what former NBA champion turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recommends, since he believes that Davis is the only top-tier big man who’ll be available this summer.

“The magic is going to have to be maybe revisiting the relationship with Anthony Davis,” Perkins said. “That’s the only A-list center out there that can actually get them over the hump.”

Afterward, he also gave a wake-up call to current Lakers center DeAndre Ayton.

“By the way, if you’re DeAndre Ayton, how do you feel about seeing these comments right now?” Perkins said. “Seriously, I think he has another year on this deal. If you’re DeAndre Ayton, you gotta feel horrible right now.”

Ayton has long been criticized for lacking effort on the boards and as a help defender. Those criticisms got louder with the Lakers since Doncic and Austin Reaves are not known as great perimeter defenders. When they were all on the floor together, it sometimes looked like Ayton was simply allowing players to get their shots.

A few seconds after his comments on Ayton, Perkins doubled down on his stance on Davis, saying, “[The Lakers should] revisit the relationship with Anthony Davis. … Austin Reaves and Luka, together, cannot be your two best players to lead you to a championship.”

Doncic himself reportedly wants an ‘A-list center.’ He said in an interview the other day, “I think mainly shooters and a big man who can run the pick-and-roll and jump so I can pass to him. I think I always need shooters around me because I usually get double-teamed a lot. And some centers who can jump high and block shots.”

Davis, recognized as a strong defender, will help ensure that any defensive mishaps on the perimeter are addressed. However, there might be some reservations on his part about returning to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony Davis Might Not Jump at the Opportunity to Join Luka Doncic and the Lakers

There are a few factors working against the Lakers in reacquiring Anthony Davis. After all, they blindsided him by trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2025.

Davis didn’t give any indication that he wanted to leave the Lakers. In fact, he seemed committed to remaining and winning another championship with them. The 10-time All-Star admitted that he felt disrespected, especially when no one approached him or contacted him about the trade.

Further complicating a reunion is the fact that the current Lakers front office is the very same one that dealt him last year, and those wounds might not have healed just yet.

The second problem is that Davis has already expressed his preference to play power forward. During his time with the Lakers, he was mostly slotted at the five. He had also said he hoped LA would bring in a true center so he could slide back to playing PF, his natural position.

However, the Lakers can still trade for AD if they can convince the Washington Wizards with a compelling package. Since AD is under contract for the 2026-27 season, he has no choice if his current organization decides to trade him.

Where this becomes complicated yet again is that if LA does trade for him, he can decide not to play at all, sparking a hostage situation that would force the Lakers to make a tough decision.

On the other hand, the promise of winning another title and pairing with an era-defining star like Luka Doncic might be enough to convince AD.