One of the most popular trade targets is expected to be in the market as the Los Angeles Lakers work to build around Luka Donsic.
The Los Angeles Lakers boast three of the best in the NBA. LukaDoncic, Lebron James and Austin Reaves all play high-level basketball. However, James will be 41 next season and the Lakers are about to rebrand as “Luka’s team.”
Fortunately, for the Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks outlined a great plan to make the most of Donsic. He led him to the NBA Finals in 2024 before trading with the Lakers in 2024, and the Mavericks found success combining him with defensively wings, low scorers and high-level secondary facilitators.
In James, Raves and Dorian Finney Smith, the Lakers place most of the pieces around Don Sic, but they need a Daniel Gaford version. Luckily, the Utah Jazz is expected to make an offer on the field to Walker Kessler, who the Lakers have been linking to for a long time.
Kessler, like Gaford, is a very efficient scorer in the paint, and he is a better defender. James, Don Sic, Finney Smith and Reeves can all shoot, but they can’t stretch the floor with either degree of reliability.
Even before they added Don Sic, the Lakers have rumoured interest in Kessler, and are expected to become his most offensive suitor this offseason.
Jazz seems interested in limping for years and swapping the best players.
“Many league sources show that they believe the jazz will be active over the coming weeks,” he reported. Desert News’ Sarah Todd. “League sources say they hope the conversation will include Walker Kessler.”
The Lakers will offer the first round pick for Dalton Knecht and the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams before he fails physically, and Kessler’s offer is expected to be similar, but the Lakers must be able to cut assets more than he is worthy, as the Jazz led by Danny Einge is not eager to do business with Los Angeles.
When he played for the Washington Wizard, Gaford was one of the more efficient interior scorers in the league. When he was paired with Donsic of Dallas, he The most efficient interior scorer in the league.
There is a reason to believe that Kessler will find similar success.
| Player (span) | ppg | RPG | GDP | FG% |
| Daniel Gafford (2023-24 Wizard) | 10.9 | 8.0 | 2.2 | 69.0% |
| Daniel Gafford (2023-24 Mavericks) | 11.2 | 6.9 | 1.9 | 78.0% |
| Walker Kessler (2024-25 full season) | 11.1 | 12.2 | 2.4 | 66.3% |
Gafford is talented, but not on the same level as Kessler. If the Lakers were able to trade Knecht, 2030 pix swaps and 2031 pick Kessler, they still have the money to spend in free agency as long as they are willing to pay the luxury tax.
Gafford saw a massive improvement along with Don Sic, and the Lakers relied on Kessler to achieve the exact same success.