When Doncic played for the Dallas Mavericks, he thrived with a lob-threat center. The five-time All-Star led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals with the help of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, two players who caught lobs in an efficient offense.

A look at how the current Los Angeles Lakers roster stands after the deals made for Luka Doncic, Mark Williams and Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Trail Blazers would likely want to make room to have more minutes for Donovan Clingan, who they recently selected early in the 2024 NBA Draft. For the Lakers, meanwhile, Ayton could have at least some tangible valuable as a player who has postseason experience and tremendous size on the inside.

There were rumblings that veterans such as Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe could be on the move, but no deals were made, and all three remain in Brooklyn for now.

Nets point guard Ben Simmons is a name to monitor as NBA teams shift their attention to the buyout market post-trade deadline.