The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be in the market for a center this offseason, after Deandre Ayton failed to live up to expectations, and one of their longtime targets might now be available. NBA insider Marc Stein reports that Daniel Gafford is one of the three veterans whom the Dallas Mavericks are most open to moving on from.
“Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, as we speak, are the veterans that the Mavericks are seen as most open to trading … with Thompson drawing particular notice now that he’s entering the final season of his current contract valued at $17.5 million in 2026-27,” Stein wrote.
Well, The Athletic’s Dan Woike and Sam Amick reported the Lakers want true lob threats for Luka Doncic who mimic the skills of Gafford and Dereck Lively II. How about getting the man himself?
Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Mavericks in 2025-26. It was a down year for the 27-year-old, but not having a great point guard who can feed him the ball played a part in that.
That won’t be an issue if Gaffird reunites with Doncic. These two were together on the Mavericks for just under a year and had great success, as the team made it to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Gafford averaged 11.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 48 games with Doncic despite averaging just 20.7 minutes per game. These two are a great fit.
Now, you did wonder when Gafford was previously linked to the Lakers, whether the Mavericks would do business with them. Former general manager Nico Harrison had been ripped for sending Doncic to Los Angeles for an underwhelming haul in February 2025.
Harrison doing another trade with the Lakers seemed unlikely, but he has now been replaced by Mike Schmitz, with Masai Ujiri also taking over as Mavericks president. You’d imagine the new regime would just take the best deal on the table.
So what could a Lakers offer look like? Well, ESPN suggested a mock trade in which they acquire Gafford for Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, and the No. 25 pick in this 2026 NBA Draft.
Vanderbilt and Knecht don’t have much value, and that pick isn’t great either, so Mavericks fans might not be too happy if a deal along these lines goes through. We’ll just have to wait and see how the situation unfolds.
As for the other two veterans here, they, too, could help the Lakers.
P.J. Washington averaged 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in 2025-26. That Athletic report stated the Lakers want “wings with athleticism and energy on the defensive end and a sweet shooting stroke on the offensive side of the ball.” Washington didn’t shoot the ball well from deep this season (32.5%), but he does mostly fit the bill.
Klay Thompson isn’t the defender he once was, but he remains a quality shooter. Thompson averaged 11.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26 while shooting 38.3% from three. The Lakers were interested in the veteran guard before he joined the Warriors in 2024, and he’d be an interesting addition.
There will be other teams looking to bring in these veterans, too, and it’s just a shame that the Mavericks are open to parting with them. This was a team with title aspirations not too long ago, and they’re now cleaning house.
The Doncic trade will forever be remembered as one of the biggest blunders in NBA history. Had the Mavericks not lucked into getting Cooper Flagg, there might have been some very dark clouds hovering over the organization right now.
