The idea sounded loud, spicy, and very online. Trade Austin Reaves for Dillon Brooks. Full stop. When DeMarcus Cousins floated it on Run It Back TV, the reaction was instant. Cousins framed Brooks as a culture changer, a two-way menace, and exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need right now.
“The idea sounded loud, spicy, and very online. Trade Austin Reaves for Dillon Brooks. Full stop. When DeMarcus Cousins floated it on Run It Back TV, the reaction was instant. Cousins framed Brooks as a culture changer, a two-way menace, and exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need right now.”
“In his mind, swapping a one-sided offensive guard for a defensive tone setter who can also score felt obvious.”
Then reality checked in.
Mat Ishbia, the owner of the Phoenix Suns, saw the chatter and shut it down immediately on X.
“Don’t bother calling… Suns aren’t interested. Dillon’s not going anywhere.”
No hedging. No posturing. Just a flat rejection that tells you how Phoenix values Brooks internally.
And that part matters.
Dillon Brooks is in the middle of a career year. He is averaging 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 34.3% from three. More importantly, he has helped change the identity of a Suns team that many expected to sink toward the bottom of the standings.
Instead, Phoenix sits seventh with a 21- 14 record, and Brooks has been central to that rise. He brings edge, physicality, and the kind of defensive presence that wears on opponents over four quarters. He is the player you hate playing against and love having in your jersey.
That is exactly why the Suns are not entertaining calls.
On the other side of the proposal sits Austin Reaves, who has quietly grown into far more than a role player. Reaves is averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting an ultra-efficient 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from three. He is not just producing. He is doing it with control, feel, and adaptability. Reaves has shown he can be a co-star next to elite talent, which is exactly what the Lakers need with Luka Doncic now positioned as the franchise centerpiece.
That is where the trade idea collapses.
Yes, the Lakers need defense, and Brooks would help set a tone.
But Reaves is not expendable filler. He is a foundational piece. The Lakers are third in the West at 22-11, and their success is built on elite shot creation, spacing, and decision-making. Reaves checks all three boxes. Moving him for a defensive upgrade, even a good one, would create new offensive holes while solving only one problem. The Lakers could go after Brooks with other scenarios, but none of them include Reaves going the other way.
There is also history here. Brooks’ long-running beef with LeBron James is not theoretical. It has played out on the court, through trash talk, physical confrontations, and viral moments. Brooks has leaned into it, even calling LeBron a ‘social media junkie’ recently. Bringing that dynamic into the Lakers locker room would be a gamble, especially when the team is trying to maintain stability around an aging LeBron and a newly arrived Doncic.
So while the idea makes for great television, it does not survive real front office logic. The Suns have no incentive to move Brooks, and the Lakers have no reason to sell high on Reaves unless a true superstar is coming back. This is not that.
Mat Ishbia’s response was not just a rejection. It was a reminder. Dillon Brooks is valuable, but Austin Reaves is nearly untouchable. And the gap between those truths is exactly why this swap was never real.
