Feb 10, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Why Lakers should but won't trade for former Luka Doncic teammate

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are in need of an immediate upgrade at center. They were playing Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith at center in the playoffs because, at the trade deadline, they sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the lackluster trade package for Luka Doncic.

It was a trade that most people around the Mavericks are still upset about, besides Nico Harrison, who still thinks he got a just return. But it gave life to a Lakers future that was looking VERY bleak.

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports evaluated 22 options for the Lakers at center, weighing the pros and cons of each, and listed Mavericks center Daniel Gafford as one.

The pros: "Gafford fit so well with Dončić in Dallas that Slovenia actually considered making him a naturalized citizen so the two could play together at the Olympics. He is an absolutely perfect pick-and-roll partner: agile enough to navigate packed pants, bouncy enough to catch the highest of lobs, and strong enough to finish through contact. He's grown into a strong rim-protector in Dallas after shaky defensive stints in Chicago and Washington. He's a good offensive rebounder, and most of the all-in-one metrics adore him.

"The Mavericks are loaded in the frontcourt and need to either trade for a guard or get the assets from someone else to do so later. Gafford will be a free agent in 2026 and it's hard to imagine the Mavericks having the money to re-sign him at a starter rate given all of their other commitments. However, his 2025-26 salary is relatively low ($14.3 million), so his 2026 cap hold will be low enough to preserve cap space if the Lakers get him."

The cons: "Would the Mavericks ever deal with the Lakers again? You have to imagine the Lakers asked about Gafford in the Dončić negotiations, though admittedly, circumstances in Dallas have changed a fair bit since then. The bigger questions here are on Gafford's end. The Lakers would have to pay a starter's price in a trade for him, but he's always been more of a 20-25 minute player, and the Mavericks leaned much more heavily on Dereck Lively II in the 2024 playoffs. He's not a defensive rebounder, and he's not a great pick-and-roll defender either. He's a nice tool to have in a two-center setup, but he might just be overqualified for a bench role and underqualified as a full-time starter."

If Nico Harrison is smart, he'll stay away from trading with the Lakers unless it's a Gafford-Austin Reaves swap with no draft capital attached to it. He was fleeced by Rob Pelinka in the first deal and can't afford to have that happen again.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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