The Los Angeles Lakers have completed the 2025 NBA Draft and entered free agency with a clear directive in mind: Acquire a starting center. The trade market will be an option, but free agency will not be overlooked as a viable path to improvement.
In the event that the Lakers go shopping for a new center in free agency, then it's becoming crystal clear who they'll target: Myles Turner.
Acquiring Turner will be one of the most challenging endeavors any team can embark on in 2025. The Indiana Pacers are fresh off of going to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and most expect them to re-sign the big man to a lucrative deal.
In a recent interview, however, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made it clear that he will go to every length possible to acquire the best possible center for his team.
Pelinka said the Lakers have been "super active" in calls as they "turn over every stone" in hunt for C. Focus turns from draft to free agency "and we won't rest until we get it right."
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 27, 2025
Turning over every stone would seemingly imply that Los Angeles will at least kick the tires on a potential sign-and-trade for Turner in free agency.
Lakers to "turn over every stone" for next center. Could it be Myles Turner?
Turner is widely regarded as the No. 1 center entering free agency in 2025. That status was reaffirmed when Naz Reid re-signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a five-year, $125 million contract that officially took him off the board.
As such, the top competition for Turner as the No. 1 center on the market consists of veterans such as Clint Capela, Al Horford, and Brook Lopez, and up-and-comer Santi Aldama.
Perhaps the Lakers are eyeing one of the other four players mentioned, as each would bring something positive to the rotation. Capela is an elite rebounder, Horford is an NBA champion with a well-rounded skill set, Lopez is the prototypical 3-and-D big, and Aldama has immense offensive potential.
For a Lakers team that already has a championship-caliber rotation from point guard to power forward, however, it's easy to imagine a starter in their prime being the top priority.
Turner certainly checks that box as a 29-year-old floor-spacer and shot-blocker who just made a trip to the NBA Finals. He finished the 2024-25 regular season averaging 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 offensive boards, 1.5 assists, 2.0 blocks, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-point field goals made on .481/.396/.773 shooting.
Furthermore, Turner was No. 3 among qualified players in points as the pick-and-roll dive man during the 2024-25 season—thus implying he can thrive alongside Luka Doncic.
In addition to excelling in pick-and-roll sets, Turner's jump shot has made him one of the most dangerous pick-and-pop players in the NBA. That would afford Doncic and the Lakers incredible offensive flexibility, all the while enabling them to defend with confidence due to Turner's elite shot-blocking ability anchoring the interior.
Acquiring Turner would be a costly endeavor, but if the Lakers are truly evaluating all of their options in free agency and leaving no stone unturned, then it's hard to view anyone else as a top choice.
