Los Angeles Lakers 'Aren't Shopping' D'Angelo Russell; Why Dallas Mavs' Kyrie Irving Trade Rumors Should Be Dead

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly aren't looking to move on from D'Angelo Russell on the trade market so far this year, but if this year is like last year, that probably won't stop Dallas Mavericks star point Kyrie Irving from coming up in rumors.

On Dec. 15, several players around the NBA who were signed to new contracts during the offseason will be eligible to be traded. That, plus the fact that we're about two months away from the trade deadline, means that trade rumors and speculation are about to be turned up a notch or two.

Ahead of Tuesday night's matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, a report from HoopsWire.com's Sam Amico states that the Lakers "aren't actively shopping" point guard D'Angelo Russell, who has been linked to the Mavs in trade rumors in the past.

"Russell is having a nice season, though, and the Lakers aren’t actively shopping him, sources told Hoops Wire," Sam Amico wrote. "Quite the opposite. But they would in the right deal, or at least would be more likely to move Russell than some others. And they just may have to if they want a third consistent scorer in return."

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Although the Kyrie Irving-to-Lakers rumors should be completely dead at this point, would it really shock any of us if they end up resurfacing between now and the trade deadline? No matter how well the Mavs or Lakers are doing, it seems inevitable, but for now, both sides have legitimate reason to be content with what they currently have.

Russell, who will turn 28 years old this season, is averaging 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting career-highs of 48.3 percent overall and 40.5 percent from deep in 23 games. He helped the Lakers secure the NBA's first-ever In-Season Tournament championship over the weekend.

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The Mavs are obviously happy with Irving, and Irving is happy with his situation in Dallas. If that wasn't the case, the two sides wouldn't have agreed on a three-year, $126 million contract over the summer. The star guard is averaging 23 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 47.1 percent overall and 38.4 percent from deep, and we know what kind of impact he can have in the playoffs alongside Luka Doncic when/if the Mavs return to postseason action this season.

Dallas is currently 14-8 and third in the West, and the Lakers are 14-9 and sixth in the West going into tonight's matchup. Irving is out with a heel contusion, but it should be a fun potential playoff preview regardless. If the Lakers lose tonight, though, or if Russell hits a rough patch, watch out for those baseless rumors that aim to get Irving to L.A. for next to nothing.


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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.