The Lakers center chooses one of two! Gafford vs. Clarkston, who is the answer to the inside of the Purple Gold?

With the Davis being traded to the Mavericks, Doncic joined the Lakers. Without a center, the Lakers had to rely on Hayes, who was 2.13 meters tall, to stumble all the way to the playoffs with the third place in the West.

Faced with the Timberwolves in the first round, the Lakers' disadvantage of lacking the inside was infinitely magnified, and in the end, they were swept by the Timberwolves 4-1, losing nearly 51 points per game in the penalty area.

It is worth mentioning that Hayes, who is known as "my eyebrows are not strong" in the regular season, averaged 7.8 minutes per game in the playoffs, with only 1.8 points, 2 rebounds and 0.3 blocks. His performance was extremely poor. In the fifth game against the Timberwolves, Reddick was directly pressed on the bench. The Lakers' calls for centers are getting stronger, but the good news is late.

On May 23, 2025, according to the reporter of The Athletic, Jovan Buha, the two centers who are most closely connected with the Lakers are: Clarkston of the Nets and Gafford of the Mavericks. In the end, the Lakers management will choose which one, and it is estimated that it will require multiple assessments (including but not limited to health, cake eating ability, trade feasibility, etc.).

First of all, Clarkston has contributed 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this season, with a shooting percentage of 56.3%. The height of 2.11 meters and the wingspan of 2.20 meters give him excellent frame protection and interference ability. However, his offensive methods are single, coupled with his frequent back injuries and hamstring problems, his stability is doubtful!

However, the Nets are in the reconstruction period, and the asking price for Clarkston may be high. It is estimated that the Lakers need to provide young potential stocks (such as Rivers or Kneckett plus the first round pick), and the remaining three-year decreasing contract (average annual average of 25 million) also invisibly increases the difficulty of salary matching.

In contrast, Gafford (height 2.09 meters) averaged 21 minutes per game and was able to efficiently score 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 21 minutes per game, ranking second in the league with a shooting percentage of up to 70.2%. Its top-level ability to eat (2.1 all-time points per game) and rebound protection efficiency (10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes) may be better!

And in terms of adaptability, during the Mavericks' cooperation, Gafford and Doncic scored as high as 1.28 points per round, with an all-over shooting percentage of 89%, which was a tacit understanding.

, and Clarkston's pick-and-roll efficiency is 1.12 points per round. Although he has the flexibility to switch to the outside, his final stability is slightly inferior.

And in terms of trade feasibility, the two teams have a big gap. The Mavericks already have Lefly and Davis in the inside, and they won the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft lottery, and they are likely to choose 2.03-meter small forward Flag. The inside will probably be particularly crowded by then. With salary pressure (Goverd's contract only has 1 year and 14.39 million US dollars left), the trading intention should be relatively strong. The Lakers may match their salary with Hachimura ($18.25 million in expiration contract) and Vincent ($11.5 million) or settle the deal with the first round of 2031 pick.

No matter which one you choose, it will be a timely help for the current Lakers. So who do you think the Lakers will choose in the end? Who will trade?