Walker Kessler, Robert Williams, Bruce Brown ‘Realistic’ Lakers Trade Targets

Kessler, Robert Williams, Bruce Brown 'Realistic' Lakers Trade Targetshttps://t.co/2B4IuQmGSC via @BleacherReport

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 9, 2025

Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha believes both Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and Portland Trail Blazers big man Robert Williams are “realistic” trade targets for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Buha sees both big men as candidates to play alongside Anthony Davis “longer-term, into the next era, the next iteration of Lakers basketball.”

“Either one of those guys, next to AD, would form a dominant, in my opinion, defensive 4-5 tandem that really few teams in the league could match,” Buha said Monday on his podcast Buha’s Block (11:00 mark of the video below.)

Buha noted that Kessler would be more likely to get a shot at starting alongside Davis, while Williams could potentially be a better fit as a backup option in Los Angeles.

The Lakers head into Tuesday’s matchup with the Dallas Mavericks ranked No. 19 in blocks and No. 24 in defensive rebounds, making their defense an obvious area to target ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Kessler is averaging a career-high 10.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game per game in his third NBA season, while trailing only the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama for the blocks lead with 2.5 per game.

Combining him with Davis, who ranks third in the NBA with 2.2 per game, could give the Lakers one of the best effective blocking duos in the league.

There is a chance the Jazz decide to hang on to the 23-year-old center for the last year of his rookie deal in 2025-26, however.

Dan Woike recently reported for the Los Angeles Times that Kessler has received interest from multiple teams, but isn’t expected to be “available in any realistic trade scenarios.”

Williams is meanwhile averaging 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while averaging 1.5 blocks in his seventh NBA campaign and second with the Blazers.

His career has been impacted by injury issues that have continued into this fall. Williams has been available for just 11 games with limited minutes while dealing with a hamstring strain. That lack of availability could be a concern for a Lakers team looking for depth to step up when Davis and LeBron James are sidelined.