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The Los Angeles Lakers must return to the drawing board on the lob threat front.
Deandre Ayton, who signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Lakers last offseason, was supposed to build a daunting pick-and-roll partnership with Luka Doncic this season. However, Ayton’s inability to give maximum effort and impose himself on the offensive end could lead to the franchise searching for his replacement this summer.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn recently floated Doncic’s 27-year-old former Dallas Mavericks lob threat as a potential trade target for the Lakers this summer.
“The Mavericks have an entirely new front office,” Quinn wrote last Tuesday. “How attached are they to either of Dončić's former centers, (Daniel) Gafford or (Dereck) Lively? Would ownership allow another trade with the Lakers? It's worth the call, but it's hard to imagine these teams working together again.”
Given Dalton Knecht’s rapid decline in Los Angeles and eagerness for a fresh start with a franchise that could develop him correctly, the Tennessee product is an asset the Lakers should be comfortable using in a trade to land Gafford or any other frontcourt contributor.
Why would Gafford be a solid return for the Lakers in a potential trade sending Knecht to the Mavericks? Well, besides the obvious reason (his proven chemistry with Doncic), the former Washington Wizards forward/center is a high-energy big man who can be depended on to attack every loose ball, high-point lobs, and score efficiently in the low post.
Gafford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game with the Mavericks this season, shooting 65.5% from the field in 55 contests. Combine that with the fact that a Gafford-Doncic pairing has already resulted in an NBA Finals appearance, and the Lakers have clear motivation to strike another big-time deal with the Mavericks.
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