The way most of the NBA is reacting to the deal, it's possible the Lakers did not want to give the Mavs a chance to come to their senses by trying to add Gafford or Lively to the mix.Hard to imagine there not being another deal coming for the lakers. If not, they are going to be terrible defensively. Reeves, Doncic, LeBron, Hachimura and Finney-Smith. Elite 3 point shooting like JJ wants but no defense and no rim protection. Gotta think they’re gonna make a deadline deal for a rim protector. I just think they should’ve struck while the iron was hot and included Finney-Smith or even Reeves in the deal to get Gafford or Lively.
Even if the Lakers get an elite rim protector, the Lakers would still be porous on defense unless JJ can work a miracle.