![\"Luka](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2266887084-e1784901217497.jpg\")
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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers <\/p>\n
The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> acquired nine new players this offseason, but they aren\u2019t done making moves, with reports suggesting that they continue to pursue help at the five spot and the wing position. One Lakers trade idea would reunite Luka Doncic with two of his former Dallas Mavericks<\/a> teammates, filling those needs.<\/p>\n Per multiple reports, the Dallas Mavericks are open to moving both Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington as they prepare to usher in the Cooper Flagg era. Both role players played a key role in helping the Mavericks reach the 2024 NBA<\/a> Finals and would be perfect additions due to their built-in chemistry with Doncic.<\/p>\n Lakers Trade Idea for Washington, Gafford<\/p>\n Lakers would receive: PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford<\/p>\n Mavericks would receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, 2032 first-round pick swap (via LAL), 2031 second-round pick (via WAS), 2032 second-round pick (via WAS) and 2033 second-round pick (via LAL)<\/p>\n Why the Mavericks Do It<\/p>\n As Dallas users in the Cooper Flagg era, it makes little sense for the franchise to hold onto veterans like Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and possibly even Kyrie Irving. Several insiders expect them to gradually move all their veterans either this summer or by next year\u2019s trade deadline, giving Flagg a roster of players that suit his timeline.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the Mavericks gave Gafford (three-year, $54M) and Washington (four-year, $88M) long-term extensions last year under the premise that Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Co. would be there to lead a veteran outfit. However, their strategies have changed, and they appear to be heading in a youth movement.<\/p>\n The Mavs also need to reduce their logjam at the five spot, making Gafford dispensable. Their current rotation boasts of Dereck Lively<\/a> II, new Santi Aldama<\/a>, rookie Morez Johnson Jr. and Moussa Ciss\u00e9, whom they are said to be very high on.<\/p>\n Why the Lakers Do It<\/p>\n Adding the long-term money of Washington and Gafford comes with its fair share of risks, but could be one of the moves the Lakers need to make to give Luka Doncic a complete squad. Despite all their offseason acquisitions \u2014 including Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes<\/a>,\u00a0Kevon Looney<\/a>, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton,\u00a0Ziaire Williams<\/a> and Matisse Thybulle \u2014 the Lakers don\u2019t really have a starting-caliber small forward, a role that P.J. Washington can slide into. While Grimes, Mamukelashvili and Sexton are offensively-skewed players, Williams and Thybulle are limited offensively. Washington would bring a more complete skill set with his three-point shooting and elite defense.<\/p>\n Similarly, the Lakers remain a little thin at the five spot despite adding Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney. While the latter is more of an energy guy who plays limited minutes, Kessler is coming off a season-ending injury and may need some insurance.<\/p>\n A player like Gafford would be perfect as a second-string big for the Lakers, who continue to pursue the market for a big man, according to The Athletic\u2019s Dan Woike.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Lakers are still monitoring the market for big men, team sources told The Athletic,\u201d Woike reported last week. \u201cThey traded for Walker Kessler and signed Kevon Looney to play center, and Mamukelashvili can play the position, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team could address the position either by trade or signing, like with potentially adding Thybulle. The roster is currently at full capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSai Mohan<\/a> covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers acquired nine new players this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":828750,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-828749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}