With the NBA off-season just a few months away, GMs across the league will already be making their plans to bolster their rosters. We are sure to see one massive blockbuster trade during that time.
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pinus proposed one massive trade between the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and Charlotte Hornets that sees the Mavs get their next franchise star, the Lakers get a center, and the Hornets get a massive haul.
Dallas Mavericks receive: LaMelo Ball, Josh Okogie, DaQuan Jeffries, 2025 Second-Round Pick (LAL), $6.6 Million Trade Exception (Daniel Gafford), and $2.6 Million Trade Exception (Kyrie Irving)
Charlotte Hornets receive: Kyrie Irving, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber, 2025 First-Round Pick (DAL), and 2029 First-Round Pick (DAL via LAL)
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Daniel Gafford
This deal comes with a few caveats. For starters, Kyrie Irving would have to opt into his player option. Otherwise, the All-Star can leave as a free agent. On top of that, both Irving and LaMelo Ball get a trade kicker of $6.6 million and $2.8 million, respectively.
As for the Hornets, they would have to fully guarantee Josh Okogie’s $7.8 million salary for the following season, while DaQuan Jeffries’ $2.7 million salary would have to remain non-guaranteed. And lastly, they would use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to take in Maxi Kleber’s $11 million salary.
The deal is certainly a bold one. But would any of the teams be compelled to say yes? We take a look below:
Would Mavericks Say Yes?
When it comes to the Mavericks, it’s hard to see them agreeing to this deal. While Kyrie Irving’s recent ACL tear complicates their team’s future planning, they seem to be confident in him recovering and returning to form once again. On top of that, acquiring LaMelo Ball creates more questions than answers.
Ball is a brilliantly talented point guard who could be the face of their franchise, but he has struggled with fitness for much of his career. On top of that, he has yet to take a massive leap like other players from his draft class, like Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tyrese Maxey, have taken in recent years. Not to mention, he isn’t the playmaker that Irving is, despite having many more years left in him.
The other assets, like Okogie and Jeffries, are merely there to make the salaries work. The trade exceptions they receive from this trade could allow them to bolster their squad. But it’s hard to see how a core of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Davis, two very injury-prone stars, could compete for a championship.
Hornets Could Benefit From Irving’s Leadership
As for the Charlotte Hornets, this deal doesn’t do much for their short-term or long-term championship aspirations. Irving’s ACL injury will keep him out for a long time. However, with their season going the way it has, the Hornets could land a high draft pick in the coveted 2025 NBA draft class.
Irving could take whatever player they draft, along with other young stars like Brandon Miller, under his wing and show them the ropes about what it takes to be a star in the NBA and compete at the highest level possible. Irving knows the road to the top better than most other stars in the league and could show them the way, on and off the court.
Aside from that, the Hornets would be happy to welcome back Dalton Knecht, who almost joined the team as part of the failed Mark Williams trade. The two first-round picks from the Mavericks and Lakers could be very valuable for them to land players in the draft or use as trade assets in the future to build the team they want to.
Lakers Land Perfect Center With Doncic Experience
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, they’re perhaps the team that needs the least amount of convincing to accept this trade. As strong as the Lakers have been since landing Luka Doncic, their one glaring weakness is at the center position. Their best player at the position is Jaxson Hayes, who, for all his strengths, is just not good enough to be a starting center on a championship team.
In Daniel Gafford, the Lakers get a proven center with strong playoff experience. On top of that, even though their time together was brief, Gafford has experience playing with Luka Doncic, especially in the playoffs. Luka elevates every big he plays with, and Gafford is a shining example of that.
With Gafford available to them, the Lakers have a strong, championship-level starting five that can hang with the best of the best in the NBA. And they would only give up one player that factors greatly in their rotation, with Knecht joining the Hornets. This would be a win-win for the Lakers.
In the end, this is a tough trade to sell to all parties. Firstly, the factors mentioned above as caveats are far too unpredictable for it to come together. On top of that, some teams really don’t benefit from this deal, which is why it’s hard to envision them agreeing to this.
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