The Dallas Mavericks, through a mix of their own actions and separate incidents, have brought down a period of misery upon themselves. As February approached, the month was set to be the time when Luka Doncic finally returned to the court after a left calf strain had sidelined him since Christmas Day 2024. Instead, the Slovenian was shockingly traded for Anthony Davis, who ended up getting sidelined for 6 weeks after sustaining an injury in his Mavs debut. To top it off, Kyrie Irving sustained a season-ending injury a month later, reducing any hope for the Dallas Mavericks to make it to the playoffs. As Homer Simpson would say, “Life can’t get any worse”. Well, if a recent rumor is to be believed, then it can!

The recent Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks matchup marked Luka Doncic’s return to the American Airlines Center for the first time since his trade. Therefore, memorable moments were set to take place, anyway. However, no one would have thought that the events would lead to speculation arising about a potential new trade! It all started when leaked audio from the game made its way online. A clip featured the Slovenian greeting his old teammates, with words like “Proud of you”, and “Love you, gang” flying around. Then, when Luka hugged Daniel Gafford, he was heard saying “We’ll play again. We’ll play again”.

This might have simply meant that Luka and Daniel would once again compete on the NBA court. However, what if it meant something else? What if “We’ll play again” meant that the duo would be part of the same team again? There is no way Luka Doncic would be acquired back by the Mavericks. So, this raises the big dollar question: Is Daniel Gafford heading to the Lakers?

It is not too crazy to think about this as a possibility. After all, this clip comes less than a month after reports emerged that the Lakers are looking to trade star rookie Dalton Knecht for Daniel Gafford! First reported by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the trade would help address the team’s issues in the low post, and also add a big man to the team. After all, despite Alex Len and Jaxson Hayes giving their best, the Los Angeles Lakers’ frontcourt has reportedly shown noticeable limitations in this tournament. The 26-year-old Mavs star is known to be a lob-threat. In this season alone, he has averaged 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.4 steals throughout 55 games. Therefore, the player would be a good fit alongside LeBron James and co

“The Lakers have shown they’re willing to trade Knecht for a Center,” Pincus wrote. “Gafford has experience playing alongside Doncic and should have comparable value to Knecht in trade”.

Eric Pincus isn’t the only one to report on this news. Renowned NBA reporter Jovan Buha also once touched base on rumors about Daniel Gafford’s trade, stating “I think Daniel Gafford is a big that would fit in LA really well. Gafford is one that could be realistic. I don’t think he is untouchable in Dallas.” Yes well, if Luka Doncic’s trade told us anything, it is that no one is untouchable within the Dallas Mavericks’ squad. Then again, having already lost so much, the Mavs front office will be careful about who they part ways with next.

Daniel Gafford’s 3-year, $40.182 million contract will expire after this season. After that, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Therefore, there is no better time than the upcoming off-season to reunite two teammates. If Gafford does end up being traded to the Lakers in the off-season, he probably would not mind it. After all, the player was devastated to part ways with Luka Doncic in the first place.

Daniel Gafford described Luka Doncic’s trade as the “one that hurts, for sure”

Being in the NBA, a player should never expect their place in the team to be safe. That is, unless you are a Michael Jordan-LeBron James-Stephen Curry level player. Then again, Luka Doncic was on his way to becoming that level of player. He was the face of the Dallas Mavericks, similarly to how Nikola Jokic is of the Denver Nuggets, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is of the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a Jordan Brand athlete, a 5x NBA All-Star, and someone who led the Mavs to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Therefore, it was hard to see him go not just for the fans, but for his teammates too.

A few days after the trade, reporter Mike Curtis asked Daniel Gafford about his reaction to the trade. The player replied that “It’s tough. I really can’t even put it into words, I would say. It’s one that hurts, for sure”. When asked what he will miss most about Doncic, Gafford added: “The type of person he was. He had a lot of character. He was real chill. He was real quiet. He stayed to himself. He just did everything that made himself happy. He had fun with the game and pretty much made everybody around him laugh. Made everybody around him happy. He did what it took to be able to come out here and play winning basketball. It hurts but it’s the league, man. It’s a business.”

According to reports, Gafford and Doncic shared a special bond during their time in Dallas. Gafford even considered joining the Slovenian National Team one day, so that he could play with Doncic outside of the NBA court too. The Doncic-Gafford duo worked together last season to help lead the Mavs during the 2024 postseason. Gafford started in 21 of the 22 postseason games, and averaged 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. While Luka Doncic and LeBron James would be enough to help the Lakers in any postseason run, having Daniel Gafford on the side would only provide some additional benefit.

Would you like to see Daniel Gafford and Luka Doncic play on the same team again? Let us know in the comments section down below.