Lakers Predicted to Trade for Former Luka Doncic Mavericks Teammate

The Los Angeles Lakers need to acquire a center this offseason for stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James after parting ways with Anthony Davis to get Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. 

Lakers head coach JJ Redick played with a center in the second half of Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and all of Game 5 because Jaxson Hayes was struggling against Rudy Gobert. 

Los Angeles president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka told reporters during his end-of-the-season press conference that he will attempt to acquire a big man this offseason via free agency or a trade and one NBA writer thinks Pelinka will accomplish his goal. 

In a story called "Bold Offseason Predictions for Every Team After 2025 NBA Finals," Dan Favale of Bleacher Report predicted that the Lakers will trade for a center "Doncic has played with."

"This inevitable search will lead them to someone alongside whom Doncic has already played," Favale wrote. "Don't ask me who, specifically. But it will be one of Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II or Kristaps Porzingis. It probably won't be Dwight Powell (player option).

"Lively would be ideal and probably cost the Lakers' top-shelf offer. Gafford isn't perfect from a defensive standpoint, but he's a solid vertical threat and rim protector. Whether the Mavericks will ever conduct business with Los Angeles again is a separate matter." Notably, Lively had an injury-riddled second season in which he was limited to 36 games.