The Dallas Mavericks have been in the headlines over the past few months for multiple reasons. After trading away star guard Luka Doncic, Dallas received all sorts of backlash.
But then the team surprisingly won the 2025 NBA Draft lottery, and will now have the chance to land Duke star Cooper Flagg. It has been a long few months for Dallas, including seeing star Kyrie Irving go down with a torn ACL.
Irving is expected to miss the majority of next season due to the injury, and Dallas will need to find a way to replace his production. One option could be a trade, and it could come from a familiar source.
NBA insider Sam Vecenie discussed a potential trade idea between the Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers while on “The Game Theory Podcast”. Vecenie proposes the two teams swap guard Austin Reaves for center Dereck Lively.
“He is a top-40 player in the league, something like that. I think he is so good, I think he is a monster. He has one year left on his contract before he gets quite expensive here. He is going to get very, very expensive moving forward. Is there anything around just Dereck Lively, who has played with Luka, who we know has great synergy with Luka, for Austin Reaves?”, he said.
On the surface, this deal doesn’t look like a great one for the Lakers. But with Reaves’ upcoming free agency, Los Angeles could cash in on landing a center for the future.
It remains to be seen whether the Lakers are willing to pay Reaves over $30 million to keep him in town. This has led to many around the league speculating about Los Angeles looking to move on from him at some point before he hits the open market.
Reaves could take over for the injured Irving in handling the backcourt duties. The guard could give Dallas a legitimate option to run the offense until Irving returns from injury.
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Moving on from Lively would also help break up the logjam that the Mavericks are expected to have in the frontcourt. Lively would instantly become the centerpiece for the Lakers, and he has plenty of experience playing alongside Doncic.
This could be a win-win for both sides, but the Lakers may want more in return for Reaves. Los Angeles has been fairly adamant about not moving him unless they receive a true star in return.
If Dallas were to include some other pieces, then a deal could maybe get done. But for now, Reaves is expected to remain with Los Angeles, entering a contract year.
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