Recently, the Dallas Mavericks have been defined by the Luka Doncic trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, and things aren’t getting better no matter how much time passes.

While Dallas’ injury problem looks to be trending in the right direction, as Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II are on track to return at some point this season (regardless of if they get activated or not), they are sliding in the standings at the worst time. Dallas has lost eight of their last 10 games, and they are in danger of missing the Play-In Tournament altogether.

This was not where anyone expected the team to be at this point of the season, and it’s safe to say that they would not be in this position if they didn’t trade Doncic to the Lakers in the middle of the night on February 1. This trade is widely considered to be a major fleece by Los Angeles, as they landed their next superstar for LeBron James to pass the torch to, but not all hope is lost in Dallas.

While their window to win a title is short, Nico Harrison’s vision of winning the NBA Finals with Davis and Kyrie Irving as his two leaders still has a chance to become a reality, but they may need some help. Dallas’ shot creation has been a major hole ever since the Doncic trade, and they have to find a way to bring in more offense to help take some weight off of Irving and Davis’ shoulders for next season.

Breaking down a Mavs-Lakers mock trade that would change everything

In this mock blockbuster trade between Dallas and Los Angeles, the Mavericks get their revenge on the Lakers, as Harrison pulled off a major move that addresses a major area of need, but it cost two elite role players.

In this mock trade proposed by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, the Mavericks land Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt while the Lakers land Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford this offseason. As things stand now, this trade would not work between Dallas and Los Angeles due to the Lakers’ cap situation, but they could somehow get a third team involved in order to help this deal go through as they did for the Doncic trade.

For hypothetical purposes, we will be grading the foundation of this trade between Dallas and Los Angeles, as both teams fill holes on their roster ahead of next season.

Grading the trade for the Los Angeles Lakers

If this trade were to go down, Gafford and Doncic would reunite after only getting to play one year together in Dallas. Doncic and Gafford were dominant in the pick and roll during their entire tenure together, and Lakers fans who love Doncic’s pairing with Jaxson Hayes this season would enjoy seeing Gafford share the floor with him again. Gafford and Doncic shared a special bond during his time in Dallas, as Gafford even considered joining the Slovenian National Team one day to play with Doncic.

The Doncic-Gafford duo helped lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals last season, as Gafford started every playoff game, and them teaming up again could frighten the rest of the NBA due to their offensive punch they provide.

They would also acquire Thompson, who they pursued last offseason, but he ultimately ended up signing with Dallas. Los Angeles’ interest in Thompson last summer was undeniable, as they reportedly offered him a bigger contract than the Mavericks did, and he would get to play next to Doncic once again. Doncic was a major reason that Thompson signed with the Mavericks over the summer, as he admired his game and was excited to get to play next to him.

Thompson has made it clear that he wants to remain in Dallas and help them win a ring, but if that happens to change or the Mavericks want to move him, the Lakers make sense as a potential destination.

This move would give Los Angeles a rim protector and rim roller to pair with Doncic who also happens to be on an expiring contract along with a fortified sharpshooter who is under contract for the next few years, but they would also lose one of their best defenders in Vanderbilt and a young star in the making in Reaves.

This move would be a major risk for Los Angeles, but they’d land two new immediate starters who would fit like a glove. It’s hard to gauge how the Lakers would fare without Reaves, but James and Doncic would be able to carry the load offensively while spreading the floor with another shooter and improving their defense.

It’s clear they need a new starting center, but making this move at the cost of Reaves seems unlikely considering how highly they’ve valued him in the past. Los Angeles would be in a better boat if they were able to keep Reaves while acquiring a new big, but as the Doncic trade proved, crazy things can happen in this league.

Potential starting lineup: Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, Daniel Gafford

Los Angeles Lakers

Grading the trade for the Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs looked unstoppable in the three quarters that Davis played in his debut before getting injured, but the roster as currently constructed doesn’t have enough guard depth and shot creation to be a true championship contender. Their No. 1 priority needs to be finding another scorer who can create his own shot and play both guard spots this summer, and that’s exactly what they’d get with Reaves.

This season for the Lakers, Reaves is averaging 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from downtown. His addition next to Irving in the backcourt would give them another dominant one-two duo to pair with Davis down low, and the team’s offense would no longer be a problem.

Reaves’ ability to run the one when needed would be key during Irving’s absence due to his ACL tear, and he has proved that is a role he can tackle this year in Los Angeles. While an Irving-Reaves backcourt could have defensive limitations, the Vanderbilt addition would more than make up for it.

This year, Vanderbilt is averaging 4.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and a career-high 33.3 percent from downtown on 1.2 attempts per game. Dallas’ defense would become even more scary with Vanderbilt on the roster, as his defensive prowess, tenacity, hustle, and rebounding would be perfect fits in Dallas.

This type of move would put heavy pressure on P.J. Washington, Davis, and Dereck Lively II as the back-line defenders, but this would be a role they are more than capable of picking up the slack when needed.

Losing Gafford would be hard, but considering he was in some trade rumors earlier this season and the Mavericks already have Davis and Lively II, he may end up being expendable.

Potential starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, Austin Reaves, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavericks