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Rumors are ramping up with the NBA Draft kicking off on Wednesday. After some trades have already been finalized, other teams like the Los Angeles Lakers are rumbling around the rumor mill. There has been some speculation that L.A. might be on potentially trading for Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics. But one insider is saying not so fast!
From the sounds of it, Lakers fans should not be expecting the front office to reunite Luka Doncic with his former Dallas Mavericks teammate, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic. With speculation growing that Los Angeles wants to add a center this offseason, it sounds like Porzingis won't be the answer.
“One thing that won’t happen — another Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis pairing. There's no indication that anyone wants to see that sequel.”
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Woike lists a few names that could be on the Lakers' radar; however, they might not be deals the organization may see as worth going through with. He names Daniel Gafford and Nic Claxton as possible options, but it sounds like Los Angeles is more likely to go a different route at the center position.
“The talk at the start of the Lakers' offseason was that Dallas' Daniel Gafford and Brooklyn's Nic Claxton were the two players who made the most sense. There just remains so much leaguewide skepticism that the Mavericks could optically make another trade with the Lakers after the open revolt of the fan base following the Doncic deal. Claxton isn't thought of as a shoo-in as the answer at the position, and if he costs you your best trade package, is it a gamble worth doing?”
The NBA Draft should make things clearer for Los Angeles. Expectation is that changes are coming, as the Lakers are also rumored to potentially trade guard Austin Reaves. With the league essentially in a wide-open race for the title next season, L.A. has some big decisions to make to ideally get back to championship status.
