Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been one of the most popular names in trade conjecture for quite some time now, and the Dallas Mavericks are the latest team to surface in speculation.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley has proposed a trade in which the Lakers would send Reaves and a 2031 first-round draft pick to the Mavericks in exchange for Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin, a deal that probably won’t excite Los Angeles fans all that much. And Buckley knows it.
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“Lakers fans probably won’t like this suggestion. Maybe their decision-makers wouldn’t, either. That’s fine. They all seem like big fans of Reaves, and he’s given them plenty of reasons to feel that way,” Buckley wrote. “He’s a really good player. He’s also not a great trade asset. His growth potential is probably limited by his age (27), and he might be super expensive by this time next year. One executive recently told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that Reaves “will get $30 [million] plus” on his next contract.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a made basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 30: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a made basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
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Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Reaves averages 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 34.9 minutes per game on 46.0/37.7/87.7 shooting splits this past season. Terrific numbers, for sure. And while he isn’t the greatest defender, he has shown significant improvement on that end of the floor, and his effort level has never been questioned.
So why would the Lakers trade away Reaves and a future first-rounder for Lively? Well, Luka Doncic is one reason.
“The Lakers could cross their fingers and give him that kind of coin, but they could also flip him and a future first for Lively, who has established chemistry with Luka Doncic and cornerstone potential on defense, and Martin, a reliable role-playing wing with a proven ability to perform on the postseason stage,” Buckley added.
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Lively logged 8.7 points and 7.5 boards across 23.1 minutes a night last year. He isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he did present Doncic with a good pick-and-roll partner during their Mavericks days, so perhaps he could fit right in with Los Angeles.
That being said, while Reaves’ trade value may not be as high as Lakers fans think or hope, it does seem hard to imagine Los Angeles moving him in this fashion.
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