5 hot takes for LA Lakers after Monday night's loss to Phoenix Suns | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Hours before tipoff on Monday, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler began betting on X, thanks largely to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

“I think we need more time to see what guys become available,” he said of the trade candidates on his website Buha's block Podcast. “I think Walker Kessler is a name that the Lakers were interested in that would make a lot of sense and would allow you to either start a two-big look or, probably more realistically, start him off the bench get and then play two big shifts and then, in certain matchups, finish with two big ones.

As mentioned, it's worth keeping AD at 5, but Buha is right. There are certain teams (like the Denver Nuggets) that could demand a bigger showing from the Lakers, but they aren't really equipped to do so right now.

Jaxson Hayes has been solid in limited minutes, but Kessler is a more reliable rim protector. And the thought of a defensive front with him and AD is pretty frightening.

The other reason this makes sense is that the 23-year-old is obviously not a star and therefore he shouldn't cost as much as a big name on the trade market.

LA could give up the rest of its moving assets to go after someone like Zach LaVine, but the Lakers have proven strong enough to stay in the playoff mix without something so dramatic.

They need a roster refinement rather than an overhaul, and Kessler may be one of them.