The Los Angeles Lakers have one big question to answer: Who will be the team's starting center?
At the deadline, it looked like Charlotte Hornets big man Mark Williams was the answer. That was before a failed physical rescinded the trade and left LA scrambling for an answer.
It resulted in Alex Len signing a deal, but he didn't do much at all. Instead, it was Jaxson Hayes who was the primary center, but it remains to be seen if the Lakers keep him around or not.
As such, the Lakers will be tied to a number of centers on the market.
One big trade chip for LA is Austin Reaves, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report put together some potential trade packages involving Reaves.
One of them was with the Dallas Mavericks (again), just months after they swapped Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history.
Here is the deal that Buckley proposed:
Dallas Mavericks receive: Austin Reaves and Shake Milton
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington
Sure, getting rid of Reaves is a tough one for LA and the fans, but he is easily the most enticing trade piece on the roster not named LeBron James or Luka Doncic.
The caveat here is that Lively and Washington have ties to Doncic, and although Lively was injured last year, the risk could be worth it in the end.
It would be quite the move for Rob Pelinka and company, especially with the risks both Washington and Lively bring, but it could address the center problem.
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