The Los Angeles Lakers made an effort to address their big need at center by signing Deandre Ayton this offseason. While it wasn't the flashy move some Lakers fans were hoping for, the organization is clearly banking on Ayton's ability to turn back the clock in a more competitive environment and look like the two-way force he was earlier in his career.
At the same time, the Lakers need to be prepared for the scenario in which the Ayton experiment fails. Considering that the only other center on the roster is Jaxson Hayes, the Purple and Gold don't have much optionality if Ayton isn't delivering.
That is why a potential trade scenario in which the Lakers find a better center than Ayton and make him the backup big could make plenty of sense. One mock trade that could be a win-win for both the Lakers and the team they are dealing with would be a Daniel Gafford-to-Lakers situation.
Lakers Should Make Another Deal with Mavericks for Daniel Gafford
The Lakers have famously already dealt with the Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. That move created a logjam of big men in Dallas. The Mavericks have three players, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford, whose best position is the five. Add PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg, who are best suited to play the power forward, and it's obvious that the Mavs need to move one of these players.
Gafford, who signed a three-year, $54 million extension with Dallas, seems like the odd man out. This is only more true after the big man suffered a sprained ankle that will sideline him for the next 2-3 weeks. A trade involving an unprotected Lakers' first-round pick should be enough to entice the Mavs to part ways with the 27-year-old center. Maxi Kleber, whose return to Dallas would presumably be very welcome, and Dalton Knecht could be the necessary matching salary in such a deal.
The former Arkansas Razorbacks standout is the exact type of player the Lakers need at the center spot. He has familiarity with Doncic from their time in Dallas. Gafford is an excellent rim runner and a lob threat, something Los Angeles desperately needed last season after adding Doncic, and he can finish around the basket with ease. On the defensive end, he is not the strongest or the most physical center, but he can protect the rim and anchor a defense. He hasn't played starter's minutes throughout his career, which would work out better for the Lakers in this scenario, where he can split time with Ayton for 48 minutes.
While the Lakers' frontcourt rotation is better than it was last year, they still have a way to go to feel good about their size and defensive intensity. Gafford could help improve the Lakers on that front, but whether GM Rob Pelinka will be okay with parting ways with such valuable draft capital remains to be seen.