The Los Angeles Lakers can look back at the 2025-26 season with a lot of mixed emotions. An early playoff exit was a footnote but the Lakers looked strong for most parts of the regular season.
Luka Doncic is still in play, however, the Lakers will have to surround him with the necessary pieces to compete. According to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, a pair of former Doncic teammates should be on the radar.
“The Mavericks have an entirely new front office,” Quinn wrote. “How attached are they to either of Doncic’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.”
The last time the Lakers and Mavericks did business together was when Doncic was acquired in exchange for Anthony Davis. A chance to deal again could be on the cards if both franchises see it fit.
The call to surround Doncic with versatile, athletic big men has been going on ever since he arrived in L.A. in Dallas, Doncic thrived with both Daniel Gafford and Dereck who were both rim-running, defensive anchors in Dallas. Their interior presence made it easy for the Slovenian superstar to function in full gear.
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Gafford, 27, is still in his three-year contract meaning the Lakers will have to give up something to acquire him. Lively on the other hand will be a free agent after next season and he is a much younger option to Gafford. He is only 22-years-old.
That connection took the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, a stage the Lakers have failed to reach since winning it in 2020.
GettyLeBron James is expected to become a free agent this offseason.
Following Nico Harrison’s departure from Dallas’ front office, it raises questions about their attachment to Doncic’s former centers. The Slovenian elevated both Gafford and Lively as they benefited from his creative game and simplified Doncic’s decision-making.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and the front office have always wanted the team to have vertical threats and interior defenders. They went for DeAndre Ayton last summer but he hasn’t had that connection with Doncic. Jaxson Hayes who is Ayton’s depth also provides some presence but what defines the Mavs’ successful model around Doncic.
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By the 2027-28 season, Doncic will enter the final year of his deal and the Lakers may face the worst if the supporting cast is not championship-ready.
L.A. cannot afford a quiet summer seeing how the postseason exposed their depth issues. Aside from their center problem, they will need strong additions.
“They’ll need basically everything else,” Quinn added. “At least one center better than anyone they currently have, multiple wing defenders who can shoot, and another ball-handler to replace James, whether he leaves now or in a year. We can say very little with confidence about who will be playing for the 2027-28 Lakers, when Dončić will be in the final year of his contract and presumably expecting to seriously contend.”
The Lakers can keep asking themselves what could have been if Doncic hadn’t been hurt for the playoffs. But they have to face the fact that they lacked any depth to pose a threat to the title contending teams. The best-case scenario was that they could have avoided a sweep in the second round.
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