The Los Angeles Lakers’ biggest priority this offseason will be to upgrade their frontcourt. It would be an added bonus if it was a big man Luka Doncic has played with before. One big man they could target is Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford.
In a recent article, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposed a hypothetical deal that reunites Doncic and Gafford in LA. It actually would make sense as the Mavericks’ frontcourt will likely be crowded. Along with Gafford, they will presumably enter the 2025-26 season with Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, and Dereck Lively II.
But would the Mavericks agree to another trade with the Lakers after the massive backlash they got for trading Doncic there at the trade deadline?
Jovan Buha of The Athletic revealed the Mavericks would have a steep price for the Lakers to pry him away from them. He detailed on his Buha’s Block show what the Lakers would have to give up, which he believes is more than they should
They probably have to overpay,” Buha said. “It would probably have to be something like … Gabe [Vincent], Dalton [Knecht] and a first (round pick) for Gafford. And that’s a lot
This is unfrtunate news for a Lakers team already low on assets. That said, they are coming off being a first round exit on the NBA Playoffs, and only have so much time left with LeBron James. Gafford’s not a star, but he would be much better than who LA had in its frontcourt.
During the 2024-25 season, Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 70.2% from the field. Add in his familiarity with Doncic, and he might just be worth an overpay
Dolan, whom sources said was never a huge Thibodeau fan through the years, asked the questions in the meeting while Rose took a secondary role.
A couple of players felt like Thibodeau played the starters too many minutes and felt he had an inability to adjust, sources said, and another player said he didn’t feel like he could play for Thibodeau if the coach returned next season.
The complaints obscured the success, perhaps — four winning seasons in five years, the last two being 50-win campaigns. Getting to at least the second round in the last three years was commendable, but perhaps the Knicks left food on the table in the playoffs, falling short to the Pacers last year and this year, the latter in spectacular fashion.
Thibodeau did play his starters a lot and didn’t develop a bench the way other coaches have. Mikal Bridges openly complained about playing too many minutes and that’s when it seemed things started to go sideways.
