The ‘ obvious need for a center is hurting their chances of finding one, according to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. Sources close to the team and around the league tell Irwin that the offseason pursuit of a big man has been frustrating so far because rival clubs are hoping to take advantage of L.A.’s predicament.

“The worst spot you can put yourself in is trying to negotiate while everyone knows about your desperation,” a former executive told Irwin. “The whole league knows that not only do the Lakers need a starting center and probably a backup, but they need to bring someone in who  is going to want to play with. They basically have to hope someone else reaches their current level of desperation so that the talks can be held on even footing.”

, who’s headed toward free agency, took over as the starting center after was traded to Dallas in February. He put up solid numbers during the regular season, but was ineffective in a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota and wasn’t used at all in the deciding Game 5.

Irwin hears from sources close to the team that the Lakers hope to trade for their starting center and use the $5.7MM taxpayer midlevel exception to sign a backup. According to Irwin’s sources, L.A. has been involved in discussions with the about , the about and the about Walker Kessler. He adds that potential free agent targets include Brook Lopez and Clint Capela.

Here are a few more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA: