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4 hours ago
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The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers recently made a big trade involving a star guard, but Dallas could end up on the right side of their next deal.
Back in February, the Mavericks sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers as part of a trade that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas. Every part of the move was incredibly shocking, but one of the most shocking parts was the Mavericks’ seemingly lackluster return.
In the days following the trade, many folks around the league criticized Dallas for failing to get Austin Reaves back in the deal. While Reaves isn’t near the level of Doncic, he is still a relatively young guard who has shown improvement in each of his four seasons with the Lakers.
Although the Mavericks couldn’t grab Reaves in February, they might be able to get him after some interesting news broke on Thursday. The Athletic’s Dan Woike reported that Reaves declined a four-year, $89.2 million extension from the Lakers this week.
Of course, that was an easy decision for Reaves, considering he is eligible for a five-year, $246 million extension next summer. While Woike has reported that both sides are interested in working out a deal next summer, there is obviously a chance the Lakers don’t want to pay what Reaves might be worth on the open market.
That’s where Dallas could swoop in and take the guard, who still has two seasons remaining on his contract. A potential trade could be straightforward, with Dallas getting Reaves and sending Los Angeles Daniel Gafford and giving the Lakers their 2029 unprotected pick back.
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That could solve the Lakers’ center problem, give them control of one of their future picks back and even help them avoid potentially overpaying Reaves when that time comes. Meanwhile, the Mavericks would get another talented to guard to help run the offense as Kyrie Irving recovers from a torn ACL, and to potentially replace Irving down the line if Dallas inks Reaves to a big extension.
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