The LA Lakers have signed their team’s new center as they try to pad out the roster heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
One of the Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest needs to deal with this offseason was center position.
After swapping Anthony Davis to land Luka Donsic, the Lakers were forced to give up their virtually last decent center option and start Jackson Hayes in that role.
As a result, the Lakers struggled and bouncing off in the playoffs. As a result, they decided to deal with this in the offseason and signed DeAndre Ayton with the Lakers.
And now, the Lakers have added another center to their roster as they fight for a full-time contract in the preseason.
The Lakers have announced their signature with Kyler Kelly for their Exhibition-10 (Training Camp) contract. Kelly was with the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season.
Plus, he had a very short stint with the New Orleans Pelican and the Dallas Mavericks.
Kelly tried to enter the NBA in the 2020 draft but was not drafted. After a brief stint with the San Antonio Spurs G-League affiliate, he played professionally in the UK, Denmark and Canada.
Kelly was able to get the G-League opportunity with the NBA team, but rarely translated it into a success. However, last season he managed to get along with the South Bay Lakers, earning a valuable NBA deal.
In the G League, Kelly averaged 11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last season. He hopes to win a two-way contract with the Lakers this season.
One of the main reasons the La Lakers didn’t sign a centre other than Deandre Ayton this season is because they didn’t have any other decent options.
The Lakers had their eyes on Clint Capella, Walker Kessler and Brook Lopez. However, the Jazz refused to exchange Kessler, and Lopez and Capella chose to sign with the other teams.
This is why Deandre Ayton is putting even more pressure on him than before. He must absolutely be solid as the Lakers starting center next season.
He doesn’t need to post All-Star numbers, but he needs to provide solid defense, rim protection and perimeter scoring to help the Lakers compete in difficult Western conferences.