The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery on Monday, which is perhaps the wildest outcome of all time given the unique circumstances of the victory. Dallas, with the 11th-best odds, had a 1.8 percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick. It also came months after what many termed the worst trade in NBA history, sending 26-year-old Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a single future pick.
Duke phenom Cooper Flagg will give Dallas a new lifeline to the future. He should also help them win plenty of games next to AD in the frontcourt, especially after Kyrie Irving returns to full strength. But, his arrival could also unintentionally benefit the Lakers as Nico Harrison attempts to balance his new-look roster.
The Mavs are loaded in the frontcourt. In addition to Davis and Flagg, a natural center-power forward combo, Dallas has a pair of starting-caliber bigs in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. While Lively seems like a long-term building block, Gafford is entering the final year of a three-year, $40 million contract. He will get starting center in money in free agency next offseason, but probably not from Dallas.
Enter the Lakers.
Look, it’s hard to imagine any team in Dallas’ shoes redialing the Lakers after the media maelstrom that followed the Dončić trade. But this is Patrick Dumont, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks. Everyone in that organization (at least everyone in a public-facing role) refuses to acknowledge the immense downside or frial logic of that trade. Harrison continues to double down on his “defense wins championships” mantra. He truly believes, in his heart of hearts, that he won that trade.
So, there is absolutely a world in which Dallas and Los Angeles reconnect. There’s a pre-established dialogue between those front offices, and we know the Lakers need a center in the worst of ways. Maybe that 2031 first-round pick is finally on the table. As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn so eloquently states, there is no way Dallas keeps all its frontcourt pieces.
The Mavs aren’t keeping Davis, Flagg, Lively and Gafford.
After years of producing for mediocre to bad teams in Chicago and Washington, Gafford finally found a stable home in Dallas. He was the perfect rim-running complement to Dončić, finishing with extreme efficiency at the rim and anchoring a stout interior defense. Even without Dončić, Gafford is plainly a good, winning player, but the Mavs just won’t have space with Flagg, Davis and Lively all taking up significant reps.
The Lakers need that interior force on defense. The Lakers also need a better lob threat for Dončić than Jaxson Hayes. Why not someone on a fairly affordable contract and with built-in chemistry? We saw the Lakers borderline overpay for Mark Williams at the trade deadline. Perhaps Dallas can even squeeze positive value out of a Gafford trade with L.A. as the Lakers try to desperately right the ship following a disappointing first round exit.
Take all the emotions and memes out of the equation, and frankly, there is a sensible deal to be struck here. The Lakers need Gafford far more than Dallas does, and there’s still enough fringe value on the L.A. roster for Dallas to get its money’s worth in a trade.
