Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia firmly dismissed DeMarcus Cousins ' suggestion about the Los Angeles Lakers trading Austin Reaves for Dillon Brooks . He said Brooks is completely unavailable for any trade, including for Reaves.
Meanwhile, NBA analyst Sam Amick stated that even if Ishbia were to consider trading Brooks for Reaves, the Lakers would likely reject the deal. According to him, under Jeanie Buss' leadership, the 27-year-old guard is simply not available for trade.
"They love Austin and honestly, like Jeanie Buss is still the governor…and I bring that up because Jeanie Buss is the captain of the Austin Reaves fan club. And then Rob Pelinka is a huge fan as well. Listen, Mark Walter paid $10 billion for the team. If he sees things differently, then who knows what happens down the road, but right now, all signs point to them finding a way to pay Austin that massive amount that's coming his way this summer," he said.
Reaves rejected the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 draft to ensure he would wind up with the Lakers — he went undrafted and signed a two-way deal with the purple and gold. He worked his way up to the roster, then to the rotation and later cracked the starting lineup.
This season, Reaves got off to a sensational start, ranking in the Top 10 in scoring while playing alongside Luka Doncic , with LeBron James out due to sciatica. His numbers dropped a bit when James returned, but before he got injured, Reaves was still averaging career highs of 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.
If Amick is correct, Reaves should get his $240 million payday next offseason and remain a Laker. However, as far as basketball need is concerned, he agrees that Brooks would be the better fit.
"100 percent Dillon Brooks would be great. Truthfully, Marcus Smart, five or six years ago, he's that type of guy. But obviously, he's a little older now. They just don't have enough dogs, and it's kinda getting chippy over there because JJ has no filter and he reminds them every night that they don't have dogs," Amick added.
Cousins made the perfect pitch to the Lakers, to the extent that Ishbia had to repost the video in which the retired big man stated that if he were running the Lakers, he would not hesitate to offer Reaves for Brooks.
"He's a culture changer. He's a proven winner," Cousins said of the Suns forward. "We talk about all the glaring holes that come with this Lakers team. He fits exactly what they need right now. He's also averaging 22, 23, possibly 24 a game. I mean, you're getting a two-way player compared to a one-sided player. Why wouldn't you do it? We don't get caught up in names and highlights and all that. We're talking about building a championship team."
With Ishbia unwilling to trade Brooks and the Lakers unwilling to trade Reaves, it seems like the Lakers' head coach, JJ Redick , will have to make it work with a lineup that still features three defensive liabilities. While other trades could be pursued, having Doncic, James and Reaves in the starting five continues to be the biggest stepping stone for the Lakers' title hopes.
Related: "One of those two have to go" - Paul Pierce urges LA Lakers to break up their Big 3
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
