Despite the hot start to the new NBA season from Walker Kessler, the Los Angeles Lakers are still searching for a backup big man, or someone else in the frontcourt to play the starting power forward position, and trade rumors continue to circulate about the team’s interest in one name they’ve been linked to since Luka Doncic joined the team.
The Lakers have Kessler, Kevon Looney, and Sandro Mamukelashvili to play in the frontcourt, but with there still a glaring hole at that end of the floor, long-time big man trade target Daniel Gafford has once again been floated as a realistic name for the front office to go after.
Gafford, along with PJ Washington and Dereck Lively of the Dallas Mavericks, have been on the Lakers’ radar for a long time, and with the team struggling to use all of them consistently on a roster that’s full of forwards, Los Angeles could be in line to make a trade for one of them, as a top team insider recently reported.
Lakers Daniel Gafford Trade Rumors Pop Up Again
Gafford thrived in Dallas playing alongside Doncic, and while the Slovenian is now in the Purple and Gold, the links between the Lakers and the current Mavericks big man have remained steady over the past year and a half.
Most recently, it was Jovan Buha who discussed Gafford as a potential Lakers trade target this season, as the hole in the frontcourt is still one that will need to be addressed over the next few months.
“I think it has to be, like, that type of player or a locked-in long-term backup center that you love, that you’re like, you know, it’s a guy under contract for multiple years,” Buha said on the trade targets the Lakers are expected to go after. “Yeah, I guess maybe Gafford is someone that could be in that mix. Lively too, but I think Gafford’s more realistic and is someone that Dallas would prefer to trade. Like, it has to be that level of a high-level backup at a minimum, if not ideally a starter. That’s the only way I would consider trading either one of them.”
Buha discussed the idea of the Lakers trading young wings Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero for a big man target. Along with Gafford and Lively, he mentioned Jericho Sims and Jalen Smith, but the latter two might be out of reach, so someone like one of the two with experience playing with Doncic, perhaps even Washington, could all be on the table for Los Angeles.
If the Lakers are looking to contend for a title right now, moving on from the two young players to add an established frontcourt big man might be the best move. It’s unknown what the Mavericks would want back in a trade for Gafford, Lively, or Washington, but if it’s on the table, expect Los Angeles to be ready to pounce on a deal.
Los Angeles Remains Linked To Mavericks Big Men As Top Targets
This is by no means the first time the Lakers have been linked to one of the few Dallas bigs, each of whom saw a ton of success in the team’s 2024 NBA Finals run led by Doncic.
Previously, it was NBA reporter Brett Siegel who said the Lakers have ‘strong interest’ in trading for Gafford.
“Coincidentally enough, one of the teams with strong interest in Gafford dating back to last season is the Los Angeles Lakers, sources said. Could we see a reunion between Luka Doncic and Gafford in Los Angeles in February?” Siegel wrote last season.
Gafford offers the athleticism and defensive upside the Lakers need. While either he or Lively as a trade target might not be the best for spacing, each would be a strong addition to a roster that doesn’t have another true big behind Kessler.
But if Los Angeles is looking to add a spacing forward, that could be Washington, as, like Gafford, he’s also been constantly named a top Lakers trade target for the past few months.
“I do think (the Mavs) are open to trading veterans like P.J. Washington…like Daniel Gafford for the right price. What is that price? The Mavericks — it dates back to a different front office regime — they’ve been asking for a first-round pick for Daniel Gafford for a while now. I’m sure it’s roughly similar value for P.J. Washington,” NBA insider Jake Fischer reported over the offseason.
“If you end up restructuring the roster where Daniel Gafford is your fourth-highest-paid player, yes, you are set at the center spot, but you only have so much money to spend,” Buha said in a previous episode of his show, before then adding that Washington would be the better fit. “P.J. is a different story. I think P.J. would fit with the starters.”
Dallas has a ton of forwards on the roster right now, but if prioritizing Cooper Flagg is what the team is focused on, moving on from one of the previously mentioned players deemed top Lakers trade targets might be the best decision for both sides.
“PJ Washington was extended last year, but Dallas has increasingly loaded up at his position with Santiago Aldama, Zaccharie Risacher, and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Cooper Flagg,” Eric Pincus wrote. “The Lakers’ advantage in going after Washington is that Dallas would probably be happy to take Vanderbilt’s $13.3 million player option for 2027-28 to get out of Washington’s longer deal.”
For the time being, it remains just trade rumors linking the Lakers to Gafford, Washington, or even Lively.
However, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and as the reports keep piling up, if the Lakers can make a strong offer back to the Mavericks, perhaps one of the long-term trade targets could be playing in Purple and Gold by the February trade deadline, in what would be a massive upgrade for the Doncic-led roster in Los Angeles.
Lakers Long-Time Big Man Trade Target Could Now Be In Reach