The Los Angeles Lakers should be a hot commodity for big men on the trade market, per a Monday report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
MacMahon noted that Luka Doncic, a crafty do-it-all guard who frequently ensures his teammates feast on the offensive end, will have much to do with frontcourt assets wanting to play in Los Angeles.
Following MacMahon’s reports, The Smoking Cuban’s Will Miller took upon himself to predict that the Lakers would complete a ‘nightmare’ trade with the Dallas Mavericks before the deadline.
“Fresh Lakers rumor sets up a second nightmare Mavericks trade,” Miller wrote Saturday.
“Lakers could trade for Daniel Gafford to reunite him with Luka Doncic. “Gafford is a Klutch Sports client, as his agency is notorious for getting players where they want, and they have a huge contingent in Los Angeles with LeBron James still being there.”
“Taking this into account, as well as the fact that Gafford was thinking of joining the Slovenian national squad to play with Doncic in international competition one day, it'd make perfect sense for Gafford to want to be re-paired with one of the best pick-and-roll lob passers in the league.”
“The Lakers' incentive to do this is abundantly clear, as Gafford may be their best two-way big if he could get healthy again this season, and he already has pre-established chemistry with Doncic.”
Doncic and Gafford’s trustworthy pick-and-roll partnership played an integral part in the Mavericks’ unexpected 2024 NBA Finals run.
While the Mavericks would hate to further set up the Lakers for future success by trading Gafford to Los Angeles (which is why Miller labeled it a nightmare trade), the Lakers could make the Mavericks a deal so enticing they couldn’t say no.
Gafford, who’s averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 assists per game on 62.1% shooting with the Mavericks this season, should be prepared to play his best basketball with the Lakers if a late deal gets completed.
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