Dallas Mavericks fans’ hearts were broken when the team traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis less than a year after they made the NBA Finals, and a recent speculated “ambitious” trade target for the Lakers would crush Mavericks fans all over again in the worst way possible.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz put together a list of “ambitious” trade targets for every team in the NBA ahead of the 2025-26 season kicking off in a few weeks, and he picked Daniel Gafford of the Mavericks as Los Angeles’ target.

Even with Deandre Ayton signing with the Lakers earlier this offseason, they still need some more size, rim protection, and scoring down low, and Gafford would bring all of that and more.

Last season for Dallas, Gafford averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 70.2 percent from the field, and he’d be an incredible fit next to Doncic on the Lakers.

Doncic clearly wants to play with Gafford again one day, as the two shared a special bond in Dallas as teammates thanks to their dominance in the pick and roll together, and the Mavs trading Gafford to the Lakers would be a tough sight to see.

A Gafford-to-Lakers trade would reopen Dallas’ old Doncic wounds

Not only would the Mavericks be losing their starting center from the year that they made the NBA Finals, but seeing him play next to Doncic every single night would remind fans of what Dallas once had.

Gafford and Doncic were a special on-court duo during their time playing together, as both players were part of multiple key plays during Dallas’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals, and seeing them dominate together for the Lakers would bring forth another level of pain.

If the Mavs were interested in trading Gafford, though, they’d likely net a big return from the Lakers, but the potential backlash that may come along with it may not be worth it for Nico Harrison.

He was crushed by fans and media after the Doncic trade, and another controversial trade with the Lakers may cause another large public outroar that they don’t need to be dealing with as Cooper Flagg begins his rookie year.

It may be smart for Harrison to stay away from making trades with the Lakers for the time being, especially if that trade involves Gafford. Dallas likely wouldn’t have made the NBA Finals without him in 2024, and they have to at least try their new double-big philosophy before punting on it entirely.

Regardless, a Gafford trade this season seems possible, as the three-year extension that he signed this offseason avoided a six-month trade restriction.

This means that Gafford could be traded today if Dallas wanted to move on from him, and teams will likely be blowing up Harrison’s line to see what it would take to land Gafford in a trade.

The Lakers could end up being one of those teams, depending on how Ayton performs during the first half of the season, and Mavs fans shouldn’t rule out the possibility that Gafford could end up playing alongside Doncic in the purple and gold.