Lakers have three final trade targets to help Luka Doncic

The Los Angeles Lakers turned plenty of heads when they traded for Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler, giving him a lofty contract extension right after.

Kessler is a true rim protector with Defensive Player of the Year potential, but the Lakers' decision to give him a four-year, $130 million extension turned some heads.

Now, team insider Dan Woike reports that they might not even be done adding big men to their frontcourt, as they're still keeping tabs on three young players.

In his latest column for The Athletic, Woike reported that the Lakers are interested in Jericho Sims, Jalen Smith and Karlo Matkovic.

Lakers are keeping an eye on three centers 

Sims never took off in New York City, but his rim-running skills look tailor-made to thrive next to an elite pick-and-roll operator like Luka Doncic:

“Sims fits the run-and-jump archetype that you’d love to put around Doncic because he’s big and a tremendous athlete. He’s currently slated as the Bucks’ No. 3 center behind Myles Turner and Kel’el Ware,” Woike wrote. “Scouts have defensive concerns away from the basket, and Sims has never really been able to produce consistently. But he’s a dunker and rebounder whom the Lakers could use second-round draft capital to try and pry loose.”

Smith's high-energy might also bring some much-needed punch off the bench for the Lakers.

Kessler comes with injury concerns, and he doesn't bring the same profile to the table, but he can at least give them some spacing with his ability to stretch the floor:

“Smith has some fans within the organization because he plays with motor and has worked himself into a pretty good outside shooter,” Woike added. “But Smith is expensive (two years, $18 million remaining on his deal) and undersized at 6-foot-8. The previous Bulls’ regime was a fan of his, which puts his actual availability into question.”

The Lakers have fully pivoted toward Doncic, and he thrives next to mobile big men who feast above the rim.

So, if they can't get their hands on Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford, they might as well look for similar players in the trade market.