NBA trade watch always finds a way to start early for the Los Angeles Lakers.

And yes, that’s true even when the team is off to a 3-0 start.

The Lakers have looked objectively great so far; While beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, sixth highest net rating — their front office won’t put too much stock into a three-game sample. Remember, this group isn’t trying to dominate the month of October; They are trying to win in May and June.

That’s why it’s always wise to look ahead and it looks like it’s already happening. According to The Athletic Jovan BuhaUtah Jazz center Walker Kessler is “a name the Lakers are interested in” and “makes perfect sense” for this group.

Now, the center spot might not seem like an obvious need given Anthony Davis’s rush out of the gate, but there are still plenty of minutes to cover inside. This is where the Lakers could sense a potential weakness.

While Jaxson Hayes struggled to play significant minutes in the play-offs last season, other reserve big men Christian Wood (knee) and Christian Koloko (illness) have not played yet. If you squint through optimistically tinted lenses, this trio might look capable of handling bench minutes, but frankly it’s not a group that inspires much confidence.

That’s one of the things that makes Kessler so appealing. His skill set may be a bit limited, but he is defined and reliable. If you plug it into point 5, you know you’re getting a lot of internal activity; whether it’s pinpoint shooting, paint protection and rebounding.

A rock solid support piece in every respect. Teams with postseason aspirations like the Lakers need as many reliable role players as possible. But for those rebuilding teams like Kessler’s Utah Jazz, he’s definitely not someone they think should be banned when making trade inquiries.

Although the Jazz are not content to simply give him away, the 23-year-old is averaging 11.5 rebounds and 9.0 points (He’s shooting 87.5 percent!) and 3.0 blocks in his first two outings — they also couldn’t ask for (or at least not reasonably demand) what kind of high-dollar assets to snatch a star. He’s not the type of talent who could command Utah’s asking price.

That’s a big number for Los Angeles, which isn’t overloaded with assets. While talking about the potential of the Lakers Chasing a third starthis will deplete their collection of assets. In other words, this will be their only way to do it right.

The Lakers would be angry if they guessed wrong about the player. If the market never offered the right player, they would be angry. Even if they picked the right player and let a key player get injured, they would be angry.

The signing of someone like Kessler changes the equation. By both operating without Davis in the middle and flanking him in two big appearances, he would provide a boost on the pitch without disrupting their depth or tying their hands going forward. If the Lakers had finally realized that he wasn’t enough to get them into title contention, they’d still have more to trade for.

The impact of Kessler’s addition doesn’t carry as much weight as the arrival of a third star, but what if Los Angeles doesn’t need that kind of jump? What if the Lakers are just one or two role players away from contention?

It’s too early to say that Anthony Davis looks unstoppable, LeBron James continues to defy the aging process, and JJ Redick helps fuel that offensive attack. Dalton Knecht already looks like one of the biggest steals of the 2024 draft, Austin Reaves could be making a splash, and Rui Hachimura is playing with a purpose.

Oh, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and Max Christie aren’t even pitching yet.

While this team has a very high ceiling and a lot of basketball players left, there are still plenty of ways this group can grow. If the Lakers are considering a trade right now (and decision-makers need to evaluate potential deals, too), they shouldn’t consider going broke for a big name. Their big names are already big enough, but they could use some support to help them get where they want to go.