Reconnect with Dongzi? Famous reporter: Gafford is the Lakers potential target, and his contract is one year left

Gafford and Doncic played for the Mavericks

May 11th According to ESPN famous reporter Tim MacMahon on the podcast "HoopCollective", Mavericks center Gafford may be a potential trading target for the Lakers, and the Purple Gold Army is eager to find a starting center.

"Let me throw you a hypothetical question. This is purely speculative. I try to analyze possible operations from the perspective of the general manager," said MacMahon. "The Mavericks quietly tested the value of Gafford before this year's trading deadline (February 7). It would be completely logical for them to continue this operation this summer."

According to MacMahon's analysis, the Mavericks will face difficult choices in cap space and will be difficult to retain all centers (Anthony Davis, Gafford, Lefley). Lefly has one year left before renewing the contract early, and Gafford's contract will enter its final year (3 years, $40.18 million, salary for the 2025-26 season is $14.39 million), and he has every reason to ask for a salary that meets the value of the starting center. The team cannot pay Gafford the starting center level salary when the Blackbrow gets the maximum salary and Lefly is about to sign a big contract. In the 2024-25 season, Gafford played 57 regular season games for the Mavericks (31 starts), averaging 21.5 minutes per game, scoring 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks.