There have been a number of big men being linked to the Los Angeles Lakers as potential targets via trade or free agency and the offseason hasn’t even officially arrived yet. One of the names being mentioned as a possibility is Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
A deal would make a lot of sense for both sides as the Mavericks can afford to unload Gafford with the other centers they have on their roster, and the Lakers know he works well with Luka Doncic from their time in Dallas together. But the optics of the Mavericks trading with the Lakers again so soon after the Luka deal could make it tougher to complete a deal.
In a recent episode of Buha’s Block with Jovan Buha, he reported that the Lakers would likely have to overpay in order to acquire the Mavericks’ big man:
“My read is they’d probably have to overpay. It would probably have to be something like Gabe [Vincent], Dalton [Knecht] and a first [round pick] for Daniel Gafford and that’s a lot.”
On one hand, it does make some sense that the Mavericks could require more in a deal from the Lakers considering the amount of flak they took for not just making the Doncic trade, but for not getting nearly enough back in the deal. As such, they could look to make up for it by getting a couple extra pieces that should’ve been in that trade in one for Gafford.
The question is what are the Lakers willing to give up in such a trade. Acquiring a center is obviously a need, but the Lakers have to be smart about which assets they include in the deal. Gafford is the ideal type of center the team needs, but he is far from a star and the Lakers can’t afford to put together a star-level trade package for a role player.
If the Mavericks really do push for more, it could force the Lakers to look elsewhere to fix their center problem this summer.
Lakers’ trade target Walker Kessler could be made available by Jazz this summer
Another potential target for the Lakers this summer is Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, whom the team has had their eyes on for quite some time. And with a new person in charge of the front office in Utah, the big man could be made available this offseason.
A recent report noted that many expect the Jazz to be active this summer in trading some players and, while the most likely would be some of their veterans on expiring contracts, the team is also expected to listen to teams interested in trading for Kessler.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
