New Lakers Rumors on Kel'el Ware Trade Pursuit Before Giannis Deal Between Bucks, Heat

Before center Kel'el Ware was traded from the Miami Heat to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, he reportedly was being eyed by a Western Conference contender.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, sources said that the Los Angeles Lakers were "linked with trade interest" in Ware over "the past couple of days."

Ware is coming off a solid sophomore campaign in the NBA in which he averaged 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks across 77 games with 34 starts. He shot 53.0 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin recently reported that a source said Lakers star guard Luka Doncic's "first and foremost desire is an A-list center." While Ware has a lot of room to grow, adding him would have been a step in the right direction toward fulfilling Doncic's request.

Instead, Ware will continue his development with the Bucks, who also acquired guard Tyler Herro, swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr., guard Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap and a second-round pick in exchange for Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis.

The Lakers will have to search elsewhere as they try to improve their frontcourt depth this offseason.