Lakers trade rumors: New trade targets for LA after 2019 offseason news
By Jason Reed
Wesley Matthews — Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are in no place to contend anytime soon, they are still years away from even coming close to the postseason. Nothing is more evident of that than their league-worst 17-37 record. With rights to every single first round pick in the next seven years, it is obvious that tanking is the direction to go in Dallas.
Part of the tanking process is sending out your established guys to bring in young promising players and even more draft picks. While the Lakers may not have any available young superstars for trade, they do have an interesting package to send the Mavericks.
The biggest restriction for the Los Angeles Lakers has been Luol Deng’s contract. Granted, by the time the 2018 summer rolls around, Deng will only have one more year left on the deal. However, that is still significant cap space that may ultimately hinder the Lakers from making any moves.
Thus, the two sides can strike a fairly straightforward deal; Wesley Matthews for Luol Deng and the Lakers’ 2019 first round pick. As much as fans want that pick, the drafting process of the rebuild is over and acquiring superstars should be the shifted focus.
The Lakers get to finally free up the cap space they need, the Mavericks cement their tank and get an extra draft pick next year and most importantly Jordan Clarkson remains on the team. Win-win.