Doncic chose! The Lakers finally come to the center, US media revealed trading chips, netizens: bargain price

was swept by a gentleman 1-4 in the first round, and for the Lakers, who are determined to win the championship, this season is undoubtedly a failure. The Lakers' biggest weakness was completely exposed in this round of the series - the inside line was too poor. Therefore, for management, the first priority in the offseason is to strengthen the center.

In this round of series, the Lakers' inside problems were infinitely magnified. Whether facing Gobert, Randle, or Reed, the Lakers' insiders seemed unable to do so. From the rebounding competition to the inside franchise protection, the old James and Hachimura, who is only 2.03 meters tall, could not cope with it, which directly affected the trend and results of the game. The team's inside lacks sufficient height, size and frame protection ability, which makes the Lakers unable to resist when facing teams with strong inside. At the season summary press conference, Pelinka made it clear that the Lakers will build a lineup around Doncic in the future. Doncic's arrival gave the Lakers hope to win the championship. His comprehensive ability and excellent field vision require the right teammates to exert their maximum power. Strengthening the center position and equip Doncic with an inside player who can provide strong support on both offense and defense has become the Lakers' top priority during the offseason.

Recently, ESPN's well-known reporter Tim McMahon gave advice for the Lakers and proposed a highly feasible trading plan. The Lakers gave Hachimura a first-round pick and 1-2 swap rights, and obtained Daniel Gafford from the Mavericks. As soon as the news came out, it quickly attracted the attention and discussion of fans. As a young and energetic center, Gafford's characteristics are highly compatible with Doncic's playing style. First of all, Gafford has excellent athleticism and defensive awareness, and is able to provide solid frame protection support at the basket, which will effectively improve the Lakers' inside defense intensity. Secondly, his outstanding rebounding ability can create more secondary offensive opportunities for the team.

In addition, Gafford also has certain finishing ability on the offensive end. He can play wonderful pick-and-roll cooperation with Doncic, complete the score along the way, and enrich the Lakers' offensive tactics. Gafford and Doncic have worked together before and have made it to the finals together. The two have a high level of tacit understanding, which will help them quickly integrate into the Lakers' tactical system.

It is worth mentioning that Gafford may be naturalized by Slovenia and become a national teammate with Doncic. The conversation between the two after the last fight was also very ambiguous. Doncic said to Gafford, "We will play together again."

To sum up, Doncic is still eager to fight side by side with Gafford again, and this is also sending a signal to the management led by Pelinka. Regarding this trade idea, netizens expressed their opinions, believing that the Lakers gave relatively low chips, while the Gafford obtained was a powerful center, which could be called a "baby price". Although Hachimura Ai performed well in the playoffs, he still has a certain gap in his influence on both offense and defense in the interior compared to Gafford.