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Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ early playoff exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the overwhelming consensus was they needed major help in the frontcourt.
Julius Randle had his way with the Lakers' defense, and then Rudy Gobert put the exclamation point with a 27-point, 24-rebound performance in the closeout Game 5. To acquire a starting center, the Lakers are most likely going to need to make a trade.
Jaxson Hayes, who had been the Lakers’ starting center following the Anthony Davis trade, saw his role diminished in the playoffs leading to his eventual benching in Game 5. During a media availability session after the Wolves eliminated the Lakers, general manager Rob Pelinka acknowledged the team’s need for a starting-caliber center.
The Lakers thought they had acquired one in Mark Williams, but the trade with the Hornets was rescinded after concerns arose about Williams’ health. With Luka Doncic in the fold, Williams would have been the perfect complement as a rim-running lob threat.
The free-agent market is scarce for what the Lakers need, but they don’t have much anyways in terms of available cap space to make a major splash in free agency. That’s why a trade is the best available means for the Lakers to acquire a starting center. And by some stroke of luck, that could come from a familiar face.
Lakers trade for Daniel Gafford
Perhaps the only thing that would have redeemed general manager Nico Harrison in the eyes of Dallas Mavericks fans, short of reacquiring Luka Doncic somehow, was to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened. Beating the lottery odds, the Mavericks will get the chance to select Duke's Cooper Flagg as the franchise’s next star.
Now how does this affect the Lakers? Well it creates a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt for the Mavericks. Flagg can play both forward positions and is going to need playing time from the get-go. Anthony Davis will be back and will be healthy with a full training camp under his belt. And then the Mavericks have two starting-caliber centers in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
It’s hard to envision the Mavericks trading Lively, whom they used a lottery pick on in 2023. That would potentially make Gafford expendable. And that’s where the Lakers come in.
After the fallout from the Doncic trade, it might be a little hard to see the Lakers and Mavericks working together again. But Harrison and Pelinka remain good friends. And business is business. Teams will do what’s best for them regardless of public perception.
That’s why the Lakers need to reach out and see what it would take to potentially pry Gafford away from the Mavericks. Gafford has familiarity with Doncic and thrived alongside him after the Mavericks acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline.
This past season, Gafford started 31 of the 57 games he played in. At a little over 21 minutes per game, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocked shots while shooting 70.2 percent from the field and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’d be the ideal complement to Doncic.
What the Lakers would have to give up is where things could get dicey. The Mavericks were widely panned for not getting enough in return for Doncic. An Austin Reaves for Gafford straight-up swap would work, and the Mavericks could presumably ask for the breakout guard in return. They do need help in the backcourt with Kyrie Irving rehabbing from his ACL injury.
But there’s no indication that the Lakers would consider moving on from Reeves even after his poor playoff showing. Another swap that would work would be the Lakers giving up an expiring contract like Gabe Vincent along with a promising young player in Dalton Knecht.
As evidenced by this past trade deadline, the Lakers have been willing to move Knecht, and he is one of the players on the roster with legit trade value.
But would Knecht and an expiring deal be enough in the eyes of the Mavericks and their fanbase? The ultimate question remains, would the Mavericks deal with the Lakers again after such backlash following the Doncic trade? Gafford is what the Lakers need in a trade for a starting center, and they should do their due diligence and reach out regardless.
