Lakers top free agent targets Jalen Duren Peyton Watson
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Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons reacts after he dunks in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena on November 17, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.
Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons is having a career year and is in line to get a massive payday this summer as a restricted free agent. But despite the overarching sentiment that he’ll return to the Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers are one team that could pursue the first-time All-Star over the offseason.
The Lakers currently have Deandre Ayton at the center position, a player who, regardless of his latest claims about being ‘110%’ bought into the team, remains an overall question mark if Los Angeles wants to pair franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic with a top-tier, or even above-average, pick-and-roll partner and lob threat.
While the chances of the Lakers replacing Ayton this summer remain high, the team could go after Duren in free agency, as with their at least $55 million in cap space, they could offer him a sizable new contract, as well as the prospect of playing with Doncic.
Lakers Urged To Target Jalen Duren In Free Agency
Jalen Duren
GettyJalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons is having a breakout season.
Doncic has already expressed his interest in playing with Duren.
According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, the Slovenian star told general manager Rob Pelinka that Duren, along with either Walker Kessler or Nic Claxton, would be his top big man targets to play with for the future.
“They just trade for Luka, they have the meeting in Rob’s office with ‘Which centers do you want to play with?’ I’ve already reported this that several of the centers on the list were Walker Kessler, Jalen Duren, I believe Nic Claxton was also on that list,” Buha said back in January.
Now, while the chances of the Lakers signing Duren in free agency over the Pistons remains slim, they were urged to pursue him as a ‘dream target’ this summer.
“The Lakers haven’t found the right center to pair with Luka Dončić just yet, but the league’s scoring leader previously identified Duren as an ideal fit,” Zach Buckley wrote for Bleacher Report. “It would cost a fortune for L.A. to get this done, but if the potential prize is making life easier on (and more productive with) its best player, then that’s probably a price worth paying.”
Duren is expected to earn a new contract worth more than $40 million per year, coming off the best season of his career.
The first-time All-Star is averaging 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on 64.1% shooting, quickly turning into one of the best centers in the NBA, and would be a great pairing with Doncic, but his fit next to Cade Cunningham has already proven deadly, and chances remain he’ll stay in Detroit.
Lakers Expected To Target Top Free Agent Peyton Watson
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GettyWhile the Lakers will make an ‘all out pursuit’ for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, cap space could be used on a specific free agent target.
Along with naming Duren as the Lakers’ dream free agent target, Buckley also described Denver Nuggets‘ wing Peyton Watson as an ‘optimistic’ offseason target for the team.
Unlike Duren, Los Angeles has constantly been linked to Watson this upcoming summer, as the Nuggets likely won’t be able to offer him his market value on a new deal, which could be worth around four-years, $100 million.
Multiple insiders, including Dave McMenamin, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, Dan Woike, and Jake Fischer, have all reported links between the Lakers and Watson over the past few months.
“Restricted free agency is trickier for a team such as the Lakers that can’t afford to wait out the matching period, but Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson — an L.A.-area native who played at UCLA — might be gettable via sign-and-trade because of Denver’s tax situation,” Pelton wrote back in early February.
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Peyton Watson could be “gettable” this summer due to Denver’s tax situation, per @kpelton
“Restricted free agency is trickier for a team such as the Lakers that can’t afford to wait out the matching period, but Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson — an L.A.-area native who
In 49 games for the Nuggets this season, Watson is averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and two assists on 49.6% shooting. He’s recently been out for a decent stretch with a hamstring injury, but regardless, the Lakers are expected to target him in free agency this summer, considering Denver’s cap restrictions.
Shooting wings and athletic big men are the expected targets for the Lakers this offseason. A player like Duren might be tough to get, but someone like Watson is a much more realistic option as Los Angeles looks to retool this summer around Doncic and Austin Reaves.