According to at least one report, the Los Angeles Lakers have apparently already begun their quest to plug their massive hole at the center position. A beat writer for the Utah Jazz said recently that he thinks the Lakers have made a trade offer for Walker Kessler, an up-and-coming center who plays for the Jazz.

There have been a couple other centers linked to the Lakers as far as players they could attempt to trade for. But ESPN analyst Bobby Marks suggested a different way they could address their need for a center — trade not for someone already in the NBA and established, but for a top college prospect.

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In a recent article, he proposed a three-team deal in which Los Angeles would send out Dalton Knecht to the Portland Trail Blazers and an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick to the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 8 pick and No. 36 pick this year. It would then select Khaman Maluach at No. 8.

“It should be noted that this trade is contingent on whether Duke’s Khaman Maluach is on the board when Brooklyn is picking,” Marks wrote.

“If he is, then the Lakers have their starting center for the future, but at the cost of last year’s first-round pick, Knecht, and an unprotected first in 2031. It is the same package the Lakers sent to Charlotte in the failed Mark Williams trade last February, except the 2031 first-round swap is not included.

“… In Maluach, the Lakers get a lob partner for Luka Doncic, a rim protector and the paint presence they lacked in the first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.”

While some feel Maluach will be a lottery pick, others expect him to go later in the first round. At 7-feet-1 and 253 pounds, he’s an excellent rim protector who can also effectively guard on the perimeter, particularly in pick-and-roll sets. He’s a strong finisher near the rim who will either throw down a dunk or score on layups, and he has a fairly strong motor that helps him, among other things, attack the offensive glass.

The South Sudan native averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes a game this season as a freshman for Duke University.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Bobby Marks proposes trade that would give Lakers a promising center