The conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs have been out of control. Road teams are dominating their favored counterparts, especially in the East, where both the Pacers and Knicks are off to shocking 2-0 series leads thanks to some unbelievable late-game magic.
The Lakers only wish that they were still involved in the postseason. Sadly, that's not the case, as the're sitting at home after being soundly beaten by the Timberwolves in the first round. Minnesota exposed the Lakers' biggest flaw in that five-game set: a serious lack of size and physicality in the frontcourt.
Anthony Edwards had some special performances in the series, but at the end of the day, the Wolves are still kicking because they beat the Lakers up inside. Rudy Gobert provided the killing blow with a 27-point, 24-rebound effort in Game 5, but if getting outmuscled by everybody's least-favorite French punching bag comes with a silver lining, it's that there is absolutely no doubt what president of basketball operation Rob Pelinka needs to do this summer.
The Lakers need a center. They know it now, and they knew it the moment they traded Anthony Davis to the Mavericks for Luka Dončić back on that fateful February night. That's why they immediately turned around after swapping AD for Luka and tried to swing another deal before the trade deadline, but for reasons that have been beaten to death, their attempt to get Mark Williams from Charlotte didn't work out.
Since then, JJ Redick tried to work around having no rim protector and nobody who can take over in the paint by leaning even more heavily into his perimeter-oriented stars like Luka, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. That worked to a point, as the Lakers finished the regular season with 50 wins and grabbed the No. 3 seed. It just wasn't enough in the playoffs, and no honest Lakers fan can say they were really surprised.
The Lakers could turn to a familiar trade partner to solve their center problem
There were many reasons that those around the NBA raised their eyebrows at the Luka-AD trade. One of the biggest was that the Mavericks were already looking good at center with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Trading away a superstar like Luka for a great player like Davis, but one who seemed kind of redundant to what the Mavs were already doing, just never made much sense.
Both teams are imbalanced as a result of the trade, even if both GMs profess that they got what they wanted out of the deal. The Mavs have a surplus of bodies down low but seriously miss Luka's scoring and playmaking abilities, while the Lakers are glad to have a new Batman to allow LeBron to slip into more of a Robin role in his final years. Still, L.A. seriously misses the Brow's rim protection and ability to create offense out of the high post.
The Lakers will have many options at their disposal to bring in a new center this summer, including signing one in free agency or trading for one. No stone can be left unturned, because although we don't know how long LeBron really has left, it can't be more than a year or two.
Lakers fans know that they can't expect to land someone that's anywhere near Davis' level, but is it too much to ask for someone better than Jaxson Hayes? This is a franchise that has seen Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal working down low. Ignoring the center position, even in today's modern, somewhat positionless NBA, feels very un-Laker-y.
A Rui Hachimura for Daniel Gafford trade makes sense for the Lakers and the Mavs
The Lakers need an athletic post player to finish Luka's lobs and bang with opposing centers. The Mavs could use a stretch 4 that can spot up for Kyrie Irving. Rui Hachimura for Daniel Gafford is a win-win. Both players have one year left on their deals, and the trade would work cap-wise if the Mavs threw in little-used O-Max Prosper.
ESPN's Tim McMahon proposed this very swap on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, so credit to him for the idea. The Lakers could also sweeten the deal with a pick-swap or two if that's what it takes, or even bring in a third team, as well.
As long as Mavs GM Nico Harrison isn't gun-shy about dealing with the Lakers after the backlash he received last time, this is a trade that both teams should be willing to do. Hachimura was one of the few players that showed up for the Lakers in their series against the Timberwolves, and he's always been willing to do the dirty work on the court. Gafford would instantly raise L.A.'s athletic ceiling and make them younger, and his shot-blocking prowess would make a huge difference on a defense that struggled to keep anyone away from the rim by season's end.
Pelinka has a lot to do this summer. This trade would be the perfect first move.