Dallas, TX
Mavericks Trade Rumors Suggest Gigantic Road Closed Signs Are Up for Any Lakers Deal
The Dallas Mavericks have a few veterans they would like to trade before Thursday afternoon’s deadline, but they’re having trouble doing so. While some players like Naji Marshall have value, and teams have expressed interest, there is one team that the Mavericks will not deal with at all, per Dan Woike of The Athletic: the Los Angeles Lakers.
︀︀“Naji Marshall has also generated interest around the Lakers, though the pathways to any deal with the Dallas Mavericks after the Luka Dončić trade last season have gigantic ‘road closed’ signs all over them. The same is probably true for Daniel Gafford,” Woike wrote.
Obviously, last year’s wildly horrible trade between the Mavs and Lakers involved sending Luka Doncic to LA for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. As soon as the trade was made, everyone was aware of how badly the Lakers fleeced the Mavericks. And it’s only gotten worse since.
Davis has played in just 29 regular-season games since that trade, having dealt with four major injuries since then. Max Christie has been a fine player, but hardly worth trading Doncic for. And the one first-round pick was the biggest egregious mistake. We just saw Jaren Jackson Jr. traded for three first-round picks and two players who were recently first-round picks. Desmond Bane went for four first-rounders over the offseason.
READ MORE: Five Burning Questions After Mavericks Trade Anthony Davis to Wizards
Anthony Davis Was Finally Traded, But That Doesn’t Change Prior Mistakes
The Mavericks were finally able to trade Davis on Thursday to the Washington Wizards for the underwhelming trade package of expiring contracts and some draft capital, but it’ll likely turn out to be one first-round pick and four second-rounders. The 2030 pick that is coming from the Warriors is top-20 protected, and the Steph Curry era will be over by then. Unless they trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or get lucky on some of their coming draft picks, that pick is going to be in the top-20, and it would become a second-round pick after that.
Given how poorly the Mavericks were fleeced by the Lakers in the past, it’ll be years until they’re ready to trade with them again unless they’re willing to send back Luka Doncic. But he could also be a free agent in 2028, and every Mavs fan has that year circled.
READ MORE: Instant Trade Grades After Mavericks Send Anthony Davis to Wizards
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Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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