Lakers Looking to Trade For Mavericks Wing That 'Half the League' Wants

The NBA trade deadline is now only eight days away, and there has still been a noticeable lack of movement. We've only seen one trade this year, and that was the Atlanta Hawks dumping Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum's expiring contract and Corey Kispert.

The Dallas Mavericks are said to be one of the teams that could be selling at the deadline this year. They'd love to move Anthony Davis for the right price to get off his contract, but they have a few veterans generating trade interest around the NBA.

One such player is versatile wing Naji Marshall, who has played the best basketball of his career as of late, breaking out as a great defender, solid playmaker, and has been automatic inside the paint. He's also on a very affordable contract, making $9 million this year and $9.4 million next year. That's why "half the league is interested in him," a Western Conference scout told The Athletic's Christian Clark.

Among the many teams showing interest in Marshall is the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

"According to some of those NBA folks, the names that have been attached to the Lakers as potential trade targets are Dallas’ Naji Marshall, a former Doncic teammate, Cleveland’s De’Andre Hunter, Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo and Sacramento’s Keon Ellis. New Orleans’ Troy Murphy III and Herbert Jones are two players the Lakers have shown some interest in — as have many other teams — but NBA people say the asking price is so high that teams are waiting to see if that comes down by the deadline next week," Turner wrote.

Jan 24, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) drives to the basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks Have High Asking Price For Naji Marshall

Just because there are a lot of teams interested in Marshall doesn't mean the Mavericks are going to trade him. They are reportedly asking for a first-round pick for him, and they'd probably like it to be in this loaded 2026 draft class that looks to be the deepest we've seen in a long time.

As much as the Mavericks need salary relief, they also need good players, and Naji Marshall has been a great player recently. But his skillset also overlaps with star rookie Cooper Flagg, and they need to prioritize building around him as much as possible. If they can move Marshall in a trade with someone like Jaden Hardy or Caleb Martin while getting an expiring contract and a first-round pick in return, it'll have to be something they consider.

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