It’s obvious to identify center as a prime position of need for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2026 NBA offseason.
It’s a lot less obvious identifying the right candidate to fill that void.
But maybe it shouldn’t be. While Yves Missi may not be the first name that comes to mind among Lakers faithful, he is someone the team has “reached out to” the New Orleans Pelicans in order to discuss, per SNY’s Ian Begley.
Missi’s rim-running skill set also happens to snugly fit the very archetype that suits franchise centerpiece Luka Dončić so incredibly well.
Missi is a spring-loaded athlete who crushes lobs on one end and protects the paint on the other. He was an All-Rookie second-team selection in 2024-25, and while his floor time and role were reduced in his sophomore season, his per-minute production mostly held steady.
For whatever reason, the Pelicans don’t seem to really value him.
He made 67 starts as a rookie and just 14 as a sophomore. In between the campaigns, New Orleans invested significant resources into alternatives at the position, trading up for Derik Queen at the 2025 draft and then paying Kevon Looney in free agency.
From the outside looking in, the Pels don’t seem to be Missi’s biggest fans. And yet, Begley reported that New Orleans has “resisted those offers” for Missi so far.
It’s hard to say why that would be the case—although, this is very much a beat-of-its-own-drum front office—but maybe it’s a play on a leverage attempt.
Maybe Missi is such an obvious trade candidate that the Pels have to do something to try driving the price up. That would really only matter if the market had a major reaction to the news, but it’s fair to be skeptical of the idea that potential suitors will start sending hugely aggressive offers New Orleans’ way.
Even when Missi was earning those All-Rookie honors, he wasn’t exactly setting the basketball world ablaze. His rookie year contributions included 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and a 54.7 field-goal percentage—solid stats (shooting rate aside) but certainly not indicators of surefire stardom.
For L.A., though, those numbers should be enough. The Lakers need a more consistent source of interior energy and athleticism, and Missi would be a massive upgrade over Deandre Ayton in both categories. Missi should also be a much improved finisher if able to play off of a table-setter like Dončić.
Plus, Missi just looks like the best bet among the realistic options. Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler might be impossible to get as restricted free agents. Robert Williams III could be costly to sign and would arrive with availability concerns. Ditto (and then some) for Mitchell Robinson.
Missi, meanwhile, should be affordable: both as a trade target and as someone collecting a rookie-scale salary. This wouldn’t be a needle-moving addition, but it’s the kind of smart, supporting addition that could help this club cover a couple of pressing needs without losing the flexibility to do even bigger and better things to upgrade the roster.