Few teams have managed to pull off as big of a roster 180 as the Los Angeles Lakers. At this time a year ago they were a good but not great team, but now with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both playing excellent ball, they could still scour the trade market for a big move.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are still reeling almost a year after trading Luka Doncic. They do have the first overall pick, Cooper Flagg, who is beginning to live up to the hype, but they have a disjointed roster that was built for Doncic, not Flagg. That has led to rampant speculation that they will trade star Anthony Davis.
Davis, despite being a top 20 NBA player, has seemingly seen his value drop with concerns about his health and his age. That might open the door for a trade to bring him back to Los Angeles.
The Lakers must move heaven and earth to reacquire Anthony Davis
The Lakers have plenty of movable salary, including Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, and Jared Vanderbilt. It’s true that they are light on first-round picks, with them only having one tradable first available to move this season.
However, they have three pick swaps, so they could be included in a Mavericks trade for Davis. Additionally, they could potentially entice a team interested in Hachimura, who was having a strong season, to join the trade.
The Lakers have an outside but real chance to land Davis
In that potential machination of a deal, the Lakers would ship Hachimura to a third team, with the third team shipping out assets to the Mavericks to help sweeten the pot for Davis. Especially if the Lakers are able to get a second first-round pick for a possible Davis trade.
That would solidify their offer by giving Dallas mostly expiring contracts and two firsts for Davis, which might actually be a competitive offer. Of course, if the Chicago Bulls or Sacramento Kings enter the Davis sweepstakes, then the Lakers could be crowded out.
But if the Davis trade market continues to be quiet, then the Lakers could have a chance to reunite with their former star. That would obviously be huge for L.A., who could pair Davis with Doncic, LeBron James, and Reaves, giving them a star-studded starting lineup. Better still, it would potentially ensure a deep playoff run for a Lakers team that could challenge some of the West’s elite this season.
