The Lakers may have a path to land one of the NBA’s all-time great shooters, and it comes tied to a three-team blockbuster that would also send Kevin Durant to Dallas.
That’s the framework Heavy.com’s Adel Ahmed laid out in a proposed deal involving the Lakers, Rockets and Mavericks. In Ahmed’s scenario, Los Angeles would get Klay Thompson, Dallas would bring in Durant, and Houston would collect P.J. Washington, Jarred Vanderbilt, Naji Marshall and two first-round picks.
Thompson has already surfaced as a possible trade name to watch. Blue Man Hoops’ Peter O’Keefe wrote that, “Thompson should be angling for a trade to a desirable destination rather than a buyout, albeit he holds less control in the former scenario. The complicated aspect is the 4x NBA champion is still set to make $17.5 million next season, and there might not be too many teams eager on him at that price point,”
Durant, meanwhile, has also been floated as a possible trade candidate in Houston. NBA insider Brett Siegel wrote, “Whether or not the Rockets look to continue their partnership with Durant is the big question at large, especially since they don't view him as an “untouchable” talent in trade talks on their roster. Houston viewed the opportunity to acquire Durant as a way to upgrade from Jalen Green and bridge the gaps in their lineup to contend in the West, but by no means was this addition viewed as a long-term commitment,”
Ahmed’s proposal would shuffle major names across the league in one swing. The Lakers would add Thompson without taking on a long-term financial commitment, the Mavericks would pair Durant with Kyrie Irving, and the Rockets would walk away with a package of players and draft capital to help reshape their future.
In Other News...
Lakers Trade Idea Would Put Mavericks In The Middle Of Luka Drama
LeBron James telling the Lakers he will not return next season has already sent Los Angeles into roster-rebuild mode, and the ripple effects are reaching Dallas in a hurry. The Lakers have moved to reshape the group around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, even landing Walker Kessler from Utah in a deal built around future draft picks, while the rumor mill keeps spinning on what else they might do to accelerate the reset.
One of the louder ideas floating around would drag the Mavericks into the middle of it, with Bronny James at the center of a package that could send rotation help and future value back to Dallas. The appeal for the Lakers is obvious if they want another frontcourt piece to fit alongside Doncic and Reaves, but for the Mavericks the real intrigue is how much they would be willing to ask for in return if this particular conversation keeps moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Fans Just Got A Brutal Reminder About Luka's Missing Defender
Matisse Thybulles path back into Luka Doncics orbit is the kind of reminder Mavericks fans probably did not need. Dallas tried to bring in the long, disruptive wing in 2023 on a three-year offer sheet, seeing him as the sort of perimeter stopper who could fit alongside Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II. Instead, Thybulle stayed put and the Mavericks moved on, but the defensive profile that made him so appealing never really changed.
Now he is with the Lakers on a one-year deal and once again attached to Doncics world, this time as a player expected to handle a major share of the opponents best perimeter assignments. For Dallas, it is a small but familiar sting: the kind of defender it wanted, the kind of defender it could use, and the kind of defender it still has to watch help someone else chase the same goals. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Trade Fallout May Have Just Created Another Mavericks Gut Punch
The Mavericks February trade of Luka Doni keeps echoing far beyond Dallas, and the latest ripple landed in Los Angeles. The Lakers have spent months trying to stabilize the center spot, first with a failed swing at Mark Williams and then by turning to Deandre Ayton as the starter, but their latest move for Walker Kessler came with a price that would have been hard to imagine before the Doni deal reset the market.
Los Angeles sent a heavy package of future draft assets to Utah for Kessler, and part of the internal logic was simple: the Lakers felt more comfortable paying that kind of cost because of what they did not have to surrender in the Doni trade. It is another reminder that Dallas did not just move on from a franchise star in February, it also helped shape the way other teams are now spending, and Kessler may end up as one more player whose value is viewed through the lens of what Doni can unlock around him. [Read more 🡒]