"The Los Angeles Lakers made a trade nobody could believe for Luka Doncic before the deadline," Watts wrote Monday. "It gave them an in-his-prime superstar to build their roster a

The Mavericks brought in Daniel Gafford at the 2024 trade deadline to fill that exact role. And the fit was so seamless with Dončić that Dallas was jostling with the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals just a few months later.

The Los Angeles Lakers' 2024-25 season concluded with a disappointing first-round playoff exit, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. Despite entering the postseason as the No. 3 seed, the Lakers failed to capitalize on homecourt advantage.