The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to build a championship roster around Luka Doncic as soon as possible while they still have the Slovenian star under contract and to do that they need to address several pressing issues within the roster. 

Of those pressing issues, what the Lakers need to address most of all is to find a steady center that they can rely on for the future. 

The Lakers have been in search of a center to anchor the team for years now, to varying results. They've tried shifting Anthony Davis to the five rather than the four and that worked out so poorly that it alienated Davis and almost directly led to his trade to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic. 

The next step that the Lakers tried to take was to sign Mark Williams, though that never manifested after Williams failed his physical after the deal was all but done, leading the Lakers to turn Williams down and the center eventually ended up with the Phoenix Suns.

What the Lakers landed on to cure their center issue this season was to bring in former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton a one-year deal with a player option available to Ayton for the 2026-27 season.

At times, Ayton was incredibly efficient, but overall his inconsistencies on the court, his lack of defense and his general ability to settle into a role that suited the Lakers ultimately proved that their experiment was him was unsuccessful. 

Still, Ayton may stick around for the next season should he exercise his option, but tat shouldn't stop the Lakers from looking elsewhere to find another center to solve their problem and according to a report from Anthony Irwin, the Lakers may look toward South Beach in the trade market to try and find their next center.

Irwin reported that the Lakers have been linked to Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware "a bunch" in the past few days and the young center presents an intriguing option for the Lakers. 

The Heat haven't been shy about putting Ware up in the trade market, most notably as part of a potential package for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but if the Lakers swoop in with a good enough offer, they could be the ones that make off with the 22-year-old big man. 

Ware has played two seasons with Miami after being drafted 15th-overall in the 2024 NBA Draft and took a step up this season, averaging 11.1 points, nine rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while steadily improving as a defender and starting about half the games he played this season. 

With more time and increased responsibility on the court, Ware could continue to rise and with what he's shown on the court so far, Ware presents exactly the kind of profile that the Lakers are looking for in a center - a physical presence, strong defender and elite rebounder. 

The Lakers are somewhat strapped for resources when it comes to making trades, but if they're able to put together a package and seize the moment while the Heat are aggressively patrolling the trade market, they could lock down a center for a long time while greatly improving their overall defense.