Refusing to sell Reeves! Lakers center strengthens the game and is in a dead end, and Knector wants to change to the cake king at the end of the first round

Finding a starting center who can partner with Luca Doncic will be the Los Angeles Lakers' top priority this summer. After trading Anthony Davis in the mid-season, the Lakers left a big hole in the interior. But despite the urgent need for big players in the Lakers, according to the Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Walker, the Lakers are not expected to include Austin Reeves in the big player trade.

Walker said: "The Lakers did not show interest in using Reeves in the trade because they felt that even if Reeves were included in the trade, they would not be able to get top inside players, and there was really no meaningful trading object on the market. In the early stages of the offseason, two names were frequently associated with the Lakers, namely Nick Clarkston of the Brooklyn Nets and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks."

Reeves made breakthrough progress this season, and in this season, he averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 46%/38%/88%. He is the third player in the league in the league to average more than 20 points and 5 assists with such a shooting percentage.

With such a performance, we can completely understand why the Lakers would not include Reeves in the Clarkston or Gafford trade. Although both of them are reliable players, they are far from reaching the level of star players. But can the Lakers really keep Reeves and have enough assets to trade for one of these two centers?

The editor thinks that the answer will ultimately depend on how the Nets and Mavericks evaluate this distant first-round draft pick in the hands of the Lakers. As Reeves leaves the negotiating table, the Lakers' offer for Clarkston or Gafford may focus on their 2031 first-round draft picks, while players such as Dalton Kneckett, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Claiber can only be used as bargaining chips for salary matching, and at most they can give away first-round draft pick swap rights in 2030.

On the surface, this offer is not too bad, but the problem is that in the past 49 seasons, the Lakers have made it to the playoffs in 38 seasons. This is not a good phenomenon for teams that urgently need to speed up the reconstruction process. Therefore, the value of the first round draft pick in the hands of the Lakers is limited, and it is likely that it is only the last part of the first round. The most valuable trading asset left by the Lakers is Kneckett, but although the 24-year-old rookie showed a bright spot at the beginning of the season, as the season deepened, he eventually fell out of the Lakers' rotation. If the Lakers had not canceled Mark Williams' deal in the deadline for the trade deadline, he would have played for the Charlotte Hornets now.

Let's look at the Lakers' favorite trading object. Clarkston signed a four-year contract extension last summer worth $97 million, and despite his poor performance this season, he has been one of the league's top defensive centers for the past two seasons, undoubtedly providing Doncic with a high level of cake-eating ability. The 26-year-old center has a three-year contract, which is very cost-effective. In the last two years of the contract, his annual salary is even less than 14% of the salary cap. As a starting center, it is simply more delicious.

Gafford ushered in his highlight moment in the 2023-24 season. He averaged 21.5 minutes by Doncic, scoring 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, making him an important member of the Mavericks' finals. The 26-year-old center shot an outrageous 70.2% from the field, making it the second highest shooting percentage in the league, second only to Cavaliers All-Star center Jarrett Allen.

However, it is unlikely that Gafford will stay in the Mavericks. The frontcourt of this team is overcrowded, with Davis and Derek Lively already. Gafford has almost no place to use it. In addition, Gafford is in the last year of the contract period, which will undoubtedly increase the urgency of the Mavericks' transaction. The trends in the NBA trading market will become clear before the draft and free agent market opens. The Lakers' pursuit of its starting center will inevitably be a key event that needs attention. What do you think the Lakers should do?