![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2207869283_636a13-e1752370480548.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before a game against the Chicago Bulls.<\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> have long been viewed as buyers as the February 5 trade deadline draws closer, with expectations that the front office would look to upgrade the roster for a late-season push.<\/p>\n According to ESPN\u2019s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst<\/a>, general manager Rob Pelinka has been canvassing the market for perimeter help, while rim protection has also emerged as a growing priority.<\/p>\n While backup center Jaxson Hayes<\/a> has played above expectations, the same cannot be said for DeAndre Ayton<\/a>.<\/p>\n The starting big man has endured a turbulent campaign, drawing mounting criticism<\/a> as his role and long-term fit with the team continue to be questioned.<\/p>\n Lakers Urged to Target Long-Term Solution at Center<\/p>\n Several centers<\/a> have surfaced in trade discussions over the past few weeks, including Yves Missi<\/a>, Nick Richards<\/a>, and Daniel Gafford<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, Lake Show Life\u2019s Tyler Watts<\/a> believes the Lakers should be aiming higher.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Los Angeles Lakers should be targeting Jarrett Allen<\/a> as the long-term center to put next to Luka Doncic<\/a>,\u201d Watts wrote. \u201cThe former All-Star is an elite rebounder, roll man, rim protector, and finisher in the paint. He checks all the boxes to have success playing off number 77 and would be a massive upgrade over Deandre Ayton.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe 6\u20199 big man would offer Los Angeles a boost on both ends of the floor and make them a serious threat to win it all. The Los Angeles Lakers want a two-way force at center, and Jarrett Allen is the perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen, a 2022 All-Star, has remained a solid presence for Cleveland. Through 39 games this season, he is averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and just under one block per game while shooting an efficient 60.5% from the field.<\/p>\n For a Lakers team that has struggled with physicality throughout the season, the 27-year-old\u2019s profile stands out.<\/p>\n Los Angeles ranks near the bottom of the league in several rebounding and interior defensive categories, areas where Allen could make an immediate and tangible impact.<\/p>\n Financial Reality Looms Over Potential Move<\/p>\n Allen is in the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract<\/a>, earning $20 million this season.<\/p>\n A three-year, $90.7 million veteran extension is set to kick in afterwards, paying him $28 million in 2026-27 and rising to $32.4 million by 2028-29.<\/p>\n In the immediate aftermath of Luka Doncic\u2019s arrival in Los Angeles last year, the Lakers reportedly sought input from their new franchise cornerstone on which centers he preferred to play alongside, according to beat writer Jovan Buha<\/a>.<\/p>\n That list included Walker Kessler<\/a>, Jalen Duren<\/a>, Nic Claxton<\/a>, Mark Williams<\/a>, and Onyeka Okongwu. While Allen was not mentioned, he arguably represents one of the most complete long-term fits next to Doncic.<\/p>\n Cleveland\u2019s direction has shifted following its aggressive move to acquire James Harden<\/a>, and according to The Athletic\u2019s Sam Amick<\/a>, the Cavaliers<\/a> have made Allen available in trade talks.<\/p>\n Even so, the considerable financial commitment remains a major hurdle.<\/p>\n NBA insider Jake Fischer<\/a> has suggested that the Lakers\u2019 inability to land top targets this deadline reflects a broader philosophical approach rather than isolated missed opportunities.<\/p>\n Rather than pushing aggressively, Pelinka appears intent on preserving long-term flexibility.<\/p>\n Los Angeles is projected<\/a> to have more than $55 million in cap space this summer, with both LeBron James<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a> set to hit free agency and additional draft capital automatically becoming available.<\/p>\n An outside run at Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> has even been tipped to come into play<\/a> if the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> delay a decision past the deadline and into the offseason.<\/p>\n Still, with James widely expected to come off the books and flexibility opening up, the Lakers would be well positioned to re-sign Reaves and continue building around Doncic, potentially with a center of Allen\u2019s caliber sitting near the top of the wish list.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMatt Evans<\/a> is a sports journalist from the United Kingdom, based in Paris, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA and wider global sport. More about Matt Evans<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lakers\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Los Angeles Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka looks on before a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-458778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}