The Lakers have already made a splash in the frontcourt with Walker Kessler, but one move probably won’t be enough to solve the size issue in Los Angeles. Luka Doncic has shown he plays his best with multiple quality centers around him, and that was part of the formula in Dallas with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II. Kessler and Kevon Looney, by themselves, still don’t look like enough to push the Lakers into contender territory in a crowded Western Conference.
That’s where the Mavericks enter the picture.
Dallas has a center logjam that gives them room to deal. The roster includes Lively II, Gafford, Moussa Cisse, Morez Johnson Jr., and Santi Aldama, giving the Mavericks more big-man depth than they can realistically use all at once.
At the same time, the team still needs more guard help, so moving one of those centers could help them balance things out. Gafford has been in trade rumors for multiple years now, and the Lakers have been one of the teams linked to him ever since Dallas acquired him in 2024.
For Los Angeles, the fit is easy to see. The Lakers are clearly trying to stock the roster with players Doncic already knows from Dallas, and they’ve already added Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy this summer. Gafford would fit that same pattern.
His year with Doncic in Dallas was short, but it mattered. Gafford was the starting center during the Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals in 2024, and the connection was obvious. Doncic’s passing and ability to bend defenses opened the door for Gafford at the rim, and Gafford responded with some of the best basketball of his career.
If the Lakers were able to land him, they’d suddenly have a much stronger center rotation. Kessler would start after the price they paid to get him, while Gafford would give them a proven backup and another playable option depending on the matchup. He’s already shown he can handle both jobs, starting at times in Dallas while also backing up Lively II when needed.
That versatility is exactly why Gafford makes sense for both sides. The Mavericks have enough depth to consider moving him, and the Lakers have a clear need that Gafford could help fill. With about a month and a half left before the season begins, this is the kind of trade idea that makes too much sense to stay quiet for long.
In Other News...
Mavericks Get An Early Reality Check After Klay Thompson Exit
Klay Thompsons buyout and move to Miami left Dallas with a very different look, but not yet enough of a bump in the eyes of outside observers. Bleacher Report held the Mavericks at 19th in its latest NBA power rankings, a sign that the leagues broader view of the roster still centers more on questions than momentum, even with Kyrie Irving back from injury and a new group of young pieces in the mix.
Dusty May now inherits a team that has added rookies Santi Aldama, Zaccharie Risacher and Tarik Biberovi, but the immediate challenge is less about star power than sorting out a workable path forward. Andy Baileys read was blunt: Dallas could make the play-in conversation interesting, but a full playoff push still looks like a stretch, which leaves the Mavericks facing an early-season reality check before they even get to see what this version can become. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks May Have Found The Perfect Reset For Zaccharie Risacher
Zaccharie Risachers second NBA season did not unfold anything like his first-round billing suggested, but Dallas may have given him the kind of reset that can change the direction of a career. After arriving as the 2024 drafts No. 1 pick, he saw his role and overall impact fade in Atlanta during his sophomore year, and now he lands with a Mavericks team that can afford patience while it tries to build something different.
For Dallas, the appeal is obvious: a low-risk swing on a player whose upside still matches his pedigree, but who needs a cleaner runway to rediscover it. In a rebuilding setting, Risacher has a chance to reset the narrative around his game and, if the fit clicks, put himself in the conversation for a breakout season and even a Most Improved Player push. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Rookie Has One Clear Path Through Dallas' Frontcourt Logjam
Morez Johnson Jr. arrives in Dallas with the kind of skill set that can at least cut through the clutter. The Mavericks 2026 first-round pick steps into a frontcourt that is already crowded, but his defensive versatility gives him a real case for minutes. Head coach Dusty May, who coached Johnson Jr. at Michigan, knows the rookie well and has pointed to the value of a big man who can switch across the floor and handle multiple assignments.
For a young player trying to carve out a role, that sort of trust matters, especially when the path to the rotation is anything but clear. Johnson Jr.s exact place in the lineup still depends on his development and whatever the roster looks like by the time the season settles in, but Dallas does not need him to be a finished product right away. It just needs him to keep giving the staff reasons to believe his defense can translate quickly enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]