Veteran NBA insider Marc Stein is reporting that the Dallas Mavericks have no interest in a sign-and-trade deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that features the team getting D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Kyrie Irving.
LeBron James wants the Lakers to replace Russell with Irving. Both Russell and Irving become unrestricted free agents this summer, so the Mavericks and Lakers could execute a sign-and-trade deal.
However, it looks like Dallas doesn’t want to acquire Russell.
“While we await a clear indication about the Lakers’ intentions [regarding free agency], with no verifiable signal to date that pursuing Irving is among their offseason priorities, league sources say that the Mavericks would have no interest in a sign-and-trade with the Lakers that features D’Angelo Russell as the primary Dallas-bound player,” Stein wrote. “All indications are that the Mavericks remain intent on re-signing Irving.”
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Russell struggled against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, so his stock around the NBA has dropped. The Ohio State product averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 assists versus the Nuggets while shooting only 32.3% from the field and 13.3% from beyond the arc.
James has made it clear privately that he wants to reunite with Irving, sources told NBA Analysis Network. However, Stein is reporting that Los Angeles’ preferred offseason course is to re-sign Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura in restricted free agency.
“Retaining restricted free agents Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura continues to be regarded as the Lakers’ preferred offseason course,” Stein wrote. “Less clear is the extent of their appetite to re-sign Russell.”
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James is “not” a fan of Russell, according to Heavy Sports senior insider Sean Deveney, so it will be interesting to see if the Lakers re-sign D’Lo to let him walk in free agency.
“I hate to say one playoff series can change a franchise’s whole outlook on a guy because that just does not happen, but it is happening with some of the people in that building, maybe most significantly, with LeBron,” one Western Conference executive told Deveney. “Is this a guy they want to invest in? Does LeBron want him back — there is talk that he is not Russell’s biggest fan.”
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