Hours before Monday’s tipoff, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler started trending on X, thanks in large part to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“I think we need more time to see which guys become available,” he said of trade candidates on his Buha’s block podcast. “I think Walker Kessler is a name the Lakers are interested in that would make a lot of sense and allow you to either start a two-big look or, probably more realistically, bring him off the bench and then to play two-big. big shifts and then, in certain matchups, finish with two big ones.”

As noted, there is value in keeping AD at 5, but Buha is right. There are certain teams (like the Denver Nuggets) that could demand a bigger presence from the Lakers, and they aren’t really equipped to provide that at this point.

Jaxson Hayes has been solid in limited minutes, but Kessler is a more reliable rim protector. And the thought of a defensive front line with him and AD is pretty terrifying.

The other reason this makes sense is that the 23-year-old is clearly not a star, so he shouldn’t cost as much as a big name on the trade market.

LA could give up the rest of its movable assets to go after someone like Zach LaVine, but the Lakers have proven strong enough to stay in the playoff mix without something so dramatic.

They need more roster refinement than an overhaul, and Kessler can deliver that.