{"id":197474,"date":"2025-09-18T00:02:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T00:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/197474\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T00:02:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T00:02:19","slug":"nba-trade-rumors-los-angeles-lakers-predicted-to-land-65-6-million-in-bold-three-way-trade-involving-dallas-mavericks-and-brooklyn-nets-nba-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/197474\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers Predicted to Land $65.6 Million in Bold Three-Way Trade Involving Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets | NBA News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NBADallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (left) reacts with Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (right) after the game at Crypto.com Arena (Image via Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images) The Los Angeles Lakers are exploring a bold three-team trade involving the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks that would reunite Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> with his former lob partner Daniel Gafford. The move comes at a crucial time, with Don\u010di\u0107 pressing the Lakers\u2019 front office to accelerate their championship timeline and LeBron James still eyeing one last ring.<\/p>\n

How the trade works<\/p>\n

The proposed deal involves the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> sending assets to both Dallas and Brooklyn in exchange for Gafford and Haywood Highsmith. Here\u2019s the trade framework:TeamIncomingOutgoing Lakers Daniel Gafford, Haywood Highsmith Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, 2031 first-round pick, 2026 first-round swap Mavericks Gabe Vincent, 2031 first-round pick, 2026 first-round swap Daniel Gafford Nets Dalton Knecht, second-round pick Haywood Highsmith<\/p>\n

How all parties involved benefit<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gain Gafford, a proven pick-and-roll partner for Don\u010di\u0107. \u2022 Add defensive depth with Highsmith. \u2022 Improve center rotation while still keeping most of their future draft assets.<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n

\u2022 Acquire valuable draft capital, including a 2031 first-rounder and 2026 swap. \u2022 Add Gabe Vincent as a temporary playmaker to cover for Kyrie Irving\u2019s injury. \u2022 Clear their logjam at the center position.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Nets<\/p>\n

\"Hawks<\/p>\n

Hawks vs Nets (Image via Imagn)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Land promising rookie Dalton Knecht to fit their rebuild timeline. \u2022 Add a second-round pick while flipping Highsmith, a player they initially acquired at no cost.<\/p>\n

Pros and cons of the trade<\/p>\n

Pros \u2022 Lakers reunite Don\u010di\u0107 with a familiar big man. \u2022 Mavericks add draft flexibility and veteran guard depth. \u2022 Nets continue their youth-focused rebuild. \u2022 Each team addresses immediate needs without overcommitting.Cons \u2022 Lakers give up a key young shooter in Dalton Knecht. \u2022 Mavericks lose Gafford, who provided rim protection and rebounding. \u2022 Nets take on a rookie with no NBA experience yet, which carries uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Stat tables and demographics<\/p>\n

Daniel Gafford (2024\u201325 with Mavericks)<\/p>\n

StatValue PPG 11.2 RPG 7.4 BPG 1.8 FG% 68.9 *Age: 26 Height: 6\u201910\u201d<\/p>\n

Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (2024\u201325 with Lakers)<\/p>\n

\"Luka<\/p>\n

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers (Image via Getty)<\/p>\n

StatValue PPG 33.1 APG 9.7 RPG 8.5 Usage Rate 37.8% *Age: 26 Height: 6\u20197\u201d<\/p>\n

Haywood Highsmith (2024\u201325 with Nets\/Heat)<\/p>\n

StatValue PPG 6.1 RPG 3.2 3PT% 36.5 *Age: 27 Height: 6\u20197\u201dThese numbers show why Gafford is valuable next to Don\u010di\u0107. His elite finishing efficiency and rim protection balance Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s high-usage offensive role. Highsmith\u2019s defense adds depth at the wing, an area the Lakers struggled with during their first-round exit last season.<\/p>\n

Who wins overall?<\/p>\n

From a purely basketball perspective, the Los Angeles Lakers win the most. They immediately strengthen their roster with a proven center and defensive wing, both of whom fit alongside their stars. Dallas<\/a> benefits with picks and a stopgap guard, but they lose a key rotation big. Brooklyn<\/a> earns value for a role player but is essentially betting on Knecht\u2019s development.As Lake Show Life\u2019s Tyler Watts explained: \u201cThe Los Angeles Lakers want a pick-and-roll partner for Luka Don\u010di\u0107, and Daniel Gafford is a strong long-term option. The 26-year-old has already proven he can thrive next to the Lakers star, and he\u2019s right in the middle of his prime. Los Angeles has limited draft capital to trade, but this is a win-win. The Lakers get the defensive-minded wing they need, plus a trusted center.\u201dAlso read: NBA Trade Rumors: Golden State Warriors Could Bag $239.9 Million Memphis Grizzlies Superstar Amid Jonathan Kuminga Contract Troubles<\/a>The Los Angeles Lakers are determined to avoid wasting Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s prime and LeBron\u2019s final championship window. This trade aligns with both goals, making it a realistic move that could change the balance of power in the West. If completed, Los Angeles walks away with the biggest upgrade, while Dallas and Brooklyn improve their futures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (left) reacts with Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (right) after the game…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5117],"tags":[20012,196,5047,147,5278,5,2068,8667,19700,4,197],"class_list":{"0":"post-197474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-stars","8":"tag-brooklyn-nets","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-dallas-stars","12":"tag-dallasstars","13":"tag-hockey","14":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","15":"tag-luka-doncic","16":"tag-nba-trade-rumors","17":"tag-nhl","18":"tag-stars"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115222370718216434","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}