Since the unfathomable move of Luka Doncic, it seems like Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has been searching for his championship defensive identity.
With the move to trade Doncic for Anthony Davis, Harrison has made his stance pretty clear: he wanted defense so badly that he would trade his generational superstar to do it out of concerns of hookah and beer on top of many other worries. Doncic contributed a lot more than just his scoring. His playmaking ability to find guys on the lob made the game easier for guys like Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, and Dwight Powell.
Now, with the Mavericks already changing the complete identity of their team, they are in a serious pickle when it comes to their logjam at center. According to a new report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Lakers and Mavericks could agree to another trade this summer, and Mavericks fans wouldn't be happy about this one either.
Mavericks may be forced to trade Gafford, and the Lakers need him
The Lakers had some serious issues at the post position in the second half of the regular season and playoffs after Davis was traded away. With no Davis present for Los Angeles, it was Jaxson Hayes as the main man at the five. With Maxi Kleber injured until the Lakers' final game of their playoff season, and Alex Len being completely unplayable, the Lakers' big man issues were completely exposed.
This led to Buha talking about Doncic getting his main big man back from last season, listing Gafford as a "realistic" option for the Lakers to trade for this summer. Doncic worked perfectly with Gafford in the pick and roll, but this would lead the Lakers eventually to have to likely give up more pieces and a first-round pick, which is ironic considering the Mavericks got a lot less from the Doncic trade.
"I would have a tough time seeing Nico Harrison and Patrick Dumont making a trade with the Lakers again," Buha said.
Regardless of the history between the two teams, it's clear that the Lakers need a new big and the Mavs need depth else where. A deal would make sense for both sides, and fans will get a great taste of what the Mavs want to do this summer if Dallas extends Gafford or not.
It has also been reported that Gafford wants "starting center money" this summer, as he is due for an extension, and that might impact how the Mavs operate with their other bigs moving forward. Dallas would be coughing up a huge load of cash to Gafford, Davis, and eventually Lively II if they extended Gafford this summer, and they have a tough decision to make.
Unfortunately for the Mavs, this report makes a lot of sense considering Davis is one of the best big men in the league on both sides of the ball, and Lively II is a young piece that's only going to grow faster every year. Gafford has quite a resume as one of the best shot blockers in the NBA for the past five years, and he could help out Doncic greatly if the Lakers ended up pursuing him.
Without Gafford, the Mavs wouldn't have made the 2024 NBA Finals, but he's earned the right to make big bucks, and if that's with the Lakers, Doncic's problem of big man depth would be solved immediately.
