Nearly ten minutes into Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia, the Lakers suffered a big blow. Anthony Davis was seen holding his abdomen while heading towards the locker room. The game went on, but there was no sign of the Lakers’ star. Later, the franchise announced that Davis had sustained a strain in his abdominal muscle and would need to be reevaluated after a week. His absence creates a significant void in the lineup, one that the Lakers will have a tough time filling. So they need a solution quickly and amid all these, there could be a trade on the horizon. However, the Wizards player they’ve long eyed might have lost that opportunity after their clash last night.

Following the Lakers’ 134-96 win, when the topic came up on Access SportsNet, Mike Bresnahan scratched the name of the $10 million center as a potential replacement for Davis. “Well, I’ll tell you what, one of the names out there is Jonas Valanciunas. He was thoroughly outplayed by Jaxson Hayes tonight, so I think you can probably maybe, you know, push him off the list a little bit,” the Lakers journalist said.

Valanciunas could only manage 5 points, along with three assists and three rebounds, and was effectively guarded by Jaxson Hayes. His fit into the squad and playing style is also a concern. That pretty much takes him off the Lakers’ radar, leaving Rob Pelinka with two options, Nikola Vucevic and Myles Turner.

The Lakers are planning to acquire a solid center to take Anthony Davis‘ place. But don’t worry, Davis won’t be traded. Instead, he’ll be moved to the power forward position, allowing him to take on a bigger role in the offense besides LeBron James. However, the options also come with complications.

Lakers face challenges due to Nikola Vucevic’s high asking price

There are speculations that the Lakers wouldn’t be pursuing Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic. While the Montenegrin has been a potential target, it seems the Lakers may be shifting their focus elsewhere. And even though Utah’s Walker Kessler has been frequently mentioned as a possible option, that route is not likely to work out either.

Marc Stein provided some clarity on The Stein Line by stating, “League sources stressed over the weekend that the Lakers are not expected to join the hunt for either Vučević or Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl … while oft-suggested Lakers target Walter Kessler of the Utah Jazz is believed to as close to unavailable as it gets with less than 10 days to go before the trade deadline on Feb. 6 at 3 PM ET.” As per NBA insider reports, “Adding Vučević would be very pricey for the Lakers beyond Chicago’s desire to extract a first-round pick in return.”

With $21.5 million owed to him in the 2025-26 season, bringing him in would hit the Lakers’ cap space. The franchise cannot afford it as they need to stay below the second apron with both superstars LeBron and AD taking up 2/3rd of their salary cap. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, Pelinka and the Lakers front office are running out of time to make a crucial decision. Moreover, this is his final season so the pressure is high to make the right move. Do you think the Lakers will be able to make the right call this trade window? Let us know in the comments below!