Daniel Gafford is a proven commodity on a team that features Luka Doncic. He can run to the rim, he can protect the paint, the chemistry between him and the Slovenian superstar oozed off the screen. That is why many Los Angeles Lakers fans cannot shake the idea of poaching him from the Dallas Mavericks this summer.
It is tough to really blame anyone for having that thought. With the best options for frontcourt help on the open market being two restricted free agents, the Lakers might be better off exploring trades to get Doncic his running mate at the starting center spot. Outlets like ESPN are even stoking the flames with mock trades involving Gafford.
That is all well and good without truly contemplating what a trade between the Lakers and Mavericks would mean for both sides. In particular, Dallas still has every reason to ignore any incoming phone call from Rob Pelinka.
Mavericks may not be ready to do business with the Lakers again
For many fans in Dallas, the wound of the Doncic trade remains fresh. From the Mavericks' end, they have done their best to distance themselves from that awful day in their franchise's history.
They fired Nico Harrison, the architect of the Doncic trade, and eventually replaced him with an external hire in Masai Ujiri. They traded away the core piece of the return package in Anthony Davis. They even let go of Jason Kidd, the last non-Dumont person who was rumored to be involved in having input on the Luka deal.
In all fairness to future trade discussions between the Mavericks and the Lakers, Nico called Pelinka first. It was not the team president in Los Angeles who was the one poking around and hard-selling the idea of the deal.
Dallas can only blame themselves for initiating those conversations. What were the Lakers supposed to do? Say no to a trade that would completely save their future out of respect for knowing the Mavericks were getting fleeced? Ludicrous.
The reaction to the Doncic trade was all the same.
Any future business between these two sides while Luka is still at the peak of his powers could warrant another ugly response from Mavericks fans and media pundits. All of it would be completely justified too.
No matter how good the Gafford deal might look for the Mavericks, there will still be a distaste in helping Doncic succeed in his new home. It will age even worse for Dallas if Los Angeles immediately jumps into the title picture as a result.
Whether the Mavericks can swallow their pride to do business with the Lakers in the near future remains a massive question mark. No one would really blame them if years go by without another trade involving the two sides, though.
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