The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history in February 2025 by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks fanbase wouldn’t want their team to be making any more deals with the Lakers anytime soon, but ESPN’s Tim MacMahon stated on The Hoop Collective podcast that they might make another trade this offseason.
“This is just me kind of being amateur GM trying to figure out things that might make sense,” MacMahon said. “The Mavericks kind of quietly sniffed around about the value of Daniel Gafford before this last deadline. It certainly would make sense for them to do that again this summer.
“Dereck Lively is a year away from getting an extension, Daniel Gafford is entering the final year of his contract,” MacMahon continued. “Gafford reasonably and rightfully is going to want to get paid starting center money.
“You can’t have [Anthony Davis] on a max, Lively on a big contract, and pay Gafford starting center money,” MacMahon added. “Luka’s [Doncic] obviously got chemistry with Gafford. I don’t know if [Mavericks GM] Nico [Harrison] wants to go back to Ascension Coffee and have another chitchat with [Lakers GM] Rob Pelinka so soon, or do something that would benefit Luka.”
MacMahon suggests the Lakers would offer Rui Hachimura and draft capital in the trade. He believes this deal would benefit both sides.
Gafford could help solve the Lakers’ biggest problem, which is not having a starting-caliber big man. Despite missing time with injury, the 26-year-old averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game in 2024-25.
Doncic brought the best out of Gafford on the Mavericks, and you’d think he would do it again if they reunited on the Lakers. If the asking price isn’t astronomically high, this would be a solid trade for the Lakers. MacMahon made it clear he was just speculating, though, so there is no concrete link as such right now.
With the Lakers in desperate need of a big, expect a host of centers to be linked with them in the coming weeks and months. You wonder who GM Rob Pelinka eventually ends up bringing in.
Pelinka shared what kind of centers the Lakers would be targeting, and it’s not just one particular type. He doesn’t want to limit the archetype.
We listed out eight proven centers the Lakers could acquire this offseason. You’d certainly back them to do a lot better in 2025-26 if they land any of them. Apart from these eight, Deandre Ayton has also been touted as a realistic target.
One wonders what might have been for the Lakers this season had they managed to acquire a center after trading for Doncic. They, of course, rescinded the Mark Williams trade due to concerns regarding his health, which ensured Jaxson Hayes was going to be the best big on the roster.
That didn’t prove to be a problem in the regular season, though, as the Lakers finished as the third seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. They were being viewed as the biggest threat to the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed their weaknesses and knocked them out in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
