Why it's time for the Lakers to trade Austin Reaves

Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor and NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh discuss why a deal may be best for Los Angeles and one of its top scorers. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

Kev, I feel like the Lakers right now with the defense and the way it’s trending.

And it’s a bad loss against the Clippers, I think they need to trade Austin Reaves.

I really do.

I think it’s time.

The guy deserves to be the guy.

Capital T. Capital G. In the five games he has not played with Luka Doni, he’s averaging like 40 points and nine rebounds a game.

The numbers are incredible.

Austin Reaves deserves to be the guy.

It’s not gonna happen with the Lakers as long as Luka Doni is there.

And the Lakers can’t really upgrade defensively, and get the wings that they need to defend at a High level.

I think it’s gonna be almost impossible for Them to be a title contender with those three players on the team.

Austin Reaves, Luka Doni, and LeBron James are three of the ten slowest guys.

Cover the least amount of ground per minute in the NBA.

No other team, Kev; no other team has guys on that list of the slowest moving.

Hide me defensively, I’m just gonna park myself on the guy in the corner and take a breath.

Take a break defensively.

The Lakers have three of them.

Kevin.

And JJ Redick’s supposed to build a Championship-level defense out of these three guys?

I think it’s, I think it’s untenable.

I think there is a trade suitor here for Austin.

Reaves, that makes a lot of sense for both sides, and I think it’s time.

I think the Lakers are 19 and 8, but they have a net rating of a team that’s 14 and 13.

Like, they are a 500 team, and they got three guys who are triple-double threats.

But they can’t defend at all.

And I think something’s gotta give.

Part of me agrees with you, uh, that Austin Reaves is the piece to dangle.

But part of me also looks at this team, and thinks long term.

Reaves and Luka really like each other.

They played great together before LeBron came.

Back.

Is the solution merely goodbye, LeBron James?

Yeah, I feel like Luka, it needs, it needs to be built 100% around Luka ’cause he is just This gravitational pull that it feels likeBut they have a nine, 19- 19, Tom, Ni – 19.6 net rating this year with Luka and Reaves, without LeBron.

Is LeBron actually the uncomfortable third wheel in this situation now?

Though?

It’s possible.

I just think long-term, Luka needs better athletes, better defenders.

And I feel like Austin Reaves could be the piece that gets him those guys.

Mm-hmm.

Why it’s time for the Lakers to trade Austin Reaves

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