It wasn’t long ago that if you told an average NBA fan that Jalen Brunson’s name would dominate offseason rumors, they would have responded with “who?”.

Those days are gone. Brunson is a household name. He’ll foray into unrestricted free agency this summer. He will have many suitors.

His current Dallas Mavericks team may be one of them. They need ball-handling to supplement Luka Doncic, so why not keep the ball-handler they have?

Well, he’s going to be pricey. The Mavericks could easily decide he’s not worth the cost. They already declined to offer him a midseason rookie extension in 2021-22. Allegedly, relations between the two sides cooled as a result.

The situation with Brunson has taken a significant turn after his career-year alongside Doncic. Even more so after pulling off playoff heroics to keep the Mavericks alive despite not having their superstar to begin their first-round series against the Utah Jazz.

If Brunson is due elsewhere, the Mavs would love to at least recoup some value for him in a sign-and-trade. Here are two ideas that send him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dallas Mavericks Receive: F Talen Horton-Tucker, G Kendrick Nunn, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: G Jalen Brunson

We hear you, Dallas Mavericks fans. You don’t like this return, and we understand.