The Los Angeles Lakers have brought Austin Reaves off the bench during each of the five games he's played since returning from a December calf injury. Debates have thus raged, undoubtedly fueled by Rich Paul's controversial comments, about whether or not Reaves should continue playing as the team's sixth man.
There's merit to the belief that the trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Reaves can't ideally coexist in the starting lineup, but it's not Reaves who should become the sixth man if all else fails. It's James.
Paul, whose Klutch Sports agency represents Lakers players Bronny James, LeBron James, and Jarred Vanderbilt, has publicly called for a change in Reaves' role with the team. He's suggested both a move to the second unit and that Los Angeles should trade him for Jaren Jackson Jr., who has since been moved to the Utah Jazz.
Though a teammate's agent publicly calling for a benching and a trade will always be optically questionable, there was a rational line of thinking involved.
The three-man lineup of Doncic, James, and Reaves ranks in the 27th percentile in defensive rating in 2025-26 and finished in the 14th percentile in 2024-25. Injuries have disrupted their opportunities to develop chemistry, but the signs up to this stage are that the Lakers will struggle to defeat true contenders in the playoffs with all three in the starting lineup.
Though it may be blasphemous to suggest, there's only one rational decision if the time comes to move one of the three players to the second unit: Bench James.
If Lakers must bench a star, it can't be one who fits the long-term vision
In a perfect world, the Lakers' star trio would figure things out on the defensive end of the floor and put these concerns to rest. In a world where past events continue, however, Los Angeles would have a hard time justifying the continued use of Reaves as a sixth man.
There's no way around how Reaves playing as the sixth man has helped the Lakers create a more balanced rotation on both ends of the floor, but there's a future factor to consider.
At some point in the near future, James will either have retired or joined a new team. That future may be as soon as the end of the 2025-26 season, when his current contract expires—one that the Lakers infamously refused to extend or renegotiate.
With a seemingly clear intention to move on from James this coming summer, benching the player they actually intend to re-sign would be a baffling decision.
Austin Reaves' free agency, LeBron's uncertain future must be factored in
Once James has moved on, whether through free agency or retirement, Doncic and Reaves will be the star duo the Lakers build around. That's as well-known an intention as any in the NBA. Though moving Reaves to the second unit wouldn't derail that vision, it would certainly delay it.
Reaves has a known affinity for James as both a player and teammate, but stepping aside to accommodate him when Los Angeles still needs to determine his true value would be ill-advised.
Reaves played at a star-caliber level before his calf injury and has continued to do so since returning. The sample size of games they've played as the definitive star duo is limited, however, and the Lakers need to figure out if they can truly excel as a leading partnership before they pay top dollar to re-sign Reaves.
Moving Reaves to the second unit and hoping he'll excel as a starter in the postseason in 2027 just to avoid an uncomfortable conversation with James in 2026 simply wouldn't be wise if change is truly needed.