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Lakers $54 Million Star Named Mavericks' Top Trade Target of the Summer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 12:33 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers clearly need to adjust the roster if they hope to compete in a deep and highly competitive Western Conference next season, though precisely how the franchise should approach that problem is the subject of some debate.

Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report on Wednesday, June 11, dubbed Lakers guard Austin Reaves as the one player the Dallas Mavericks should "aggressively" pursue via trade this summer.

The suggestion is somewhat ironic considering several prominent figures inside the league, as well as many of those who cover it, have believed since February that Dallas should have acquired Reaves (or his equivalent in current players/draft assets) as part of the deal that swapped Luka Doncic to Southern California in exchange for Anthony Davis.

However, that didn't happen. Furthermore, Reaves is expected to turn down an extension offer from Los Angeles this summer for approximately $90 million over four years in favor of opting out in 2026 and hitting unrestricted free agency in search of considerably more. Those two realities render the offensively-gifted guard as potentially one of the more interesting NBA players of the next few months.

"With Kyrie Irving sidelined by a torn ACL, the Dallas Mavericks need somebody to run the offense," Hughes wrote . "Austin Reaves has never been an All-Star, but he's on the high end of what Dallas could potentially land. ... Would L.A. part with Reaves (who's extension-eligible this summer) for a depth-boosting package built around P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II? The latter certainly established chemistry with Luka Doncic when they played together and would be a battle-tested defensive anchor and lob-catcher the Lakers need."

Reaves averaged career highs in points (20.2), assists (5.8) and rebounds (4.5) per game during the 2025-26 campaign, which was his fourth in the NBA. The undrafted 27-year-old out of the University of Oklahoma will enter the third season of a four-year contract worth $54 million total in 2026-27.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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