The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a strong start this season, but the numbers underneath the surface tell a more complicated story. Sitting at 8–4 and riding mostly good vibes, they’ve looked competitive behind strong stretches from LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
But their defense, ranked just 23rd in the league, continues to be a glaring weakness. And with Deandre Ayton posting a painful minus-14.4 net differential, it’s hard to say the search for a reliable center is anywhere close to finished.
Lakers Targeting Daniel Gafford?
Bleacher Report believes the Lakers already have a solution available, and it’s a player they’ve chased before.
In a new trade prediction, Bleacher Report outlined a deal that would send Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, and a top-four protected 2031 first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Daniel Gafford.
This idea isn’t coming out of thin air. According to ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel, the Lakers have held “strong interest” in Gafford dating back to last season. And the reasons for that interest are as clear as ever.
Gafford brings exactly the type of interior presence the Lakers have been lacking. His athleticism gives him elite shot-blocking and rim-protecting ability, while his timing as a lob threat in the pick-and-roll fits perfectly with a team built around high-IQ playmakers like James and Luka Dončić.
He doesn’t need touches, he doesn’t hijack possessions, and he plays within his role — qualities that matter deeply on a roster trying to build a contender’s identity.
The contract won’t turn teams away, either. Gafford is in the first year of a three-season, fully guaranteed $54,380,290 deal with an average annual value of roughly $18.1 million.
That number is high enough to match quality rotation players in trades but low enough that a cap-conscious contender can justify keeping him long-term.
And for Los Angeles, the production lines up with the need. Through seven games, Gafford has averaged 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and one assist on a blistering 65.9 percent shooting in the 2025-26 season.
He has already shown what he can do on a deep playoff run — he made it to the 2024 NBA Finals alongside Dončić in Dallas. Reuniting those two in Los Angeles could unlock an interior dynamic the Lakers haven’t had since the prime Anthony Davis years.
Why the Lakers Might Actually Consider Gafford Trade
L.A.’s defensive rating of 116.4 is one of the most concerning numbers attached to any winning team this season. They are 3–2 in their last five games and managing fine in the standings, but long-term, that level of defense isn’t sustainable.
Vanderbilt has struggled to stay healthy, Knecht is promising but unproven, and a 2031 pick is far down the line, exactly the kind of asset a win-now team can afford to move.
Gafford, meanwhile, addresses multiple issues immediately. He is a good rim protector and a reliable paint finisher. And perhaps most importantly, he fits the timeline.
The Lakers want to compete now. James isn’t getting younger, Reaves and Dončić are entering their prime, and the West is deep enough that one roster hole can sink a postseason run. Gafford fills that hole.
The question is whether the Mavericks, fresh off Nico Harrison’s firing and leaning into Cooper Flagg’s development, would be willing to move him at this stage. Their direction is shifting, but their willingness to part with reliable frontcourt talent remains unclear.