The Los Angeles Lakers don't have to trade Austin Reaves. They may not want to trade Austin Reaves. But if they decide they need to trade Austin Reaves, would Trey Murphy III be the right player to target in a deal to shake up the Western Conference?
The Lakers plucked Reaves out of the ranks of the undrafted and oversaw his development into a fringe All-Star, a dynamic scorer, shooter and playmaker who can play either guard position and is on an absolute steal of a contract. He would be an asset to any team in the association right now.
The difficulty comes next summer, when Reaves can choose to enter free agency and will be in line for a significant payday. In the era of tax aprons and punitive penalties, can the Lakers afford to pay large salaries to two offense-first players who have defensive concerns and need the ball in their hands to thrive? Perhaps not.
If they do start to look for a trade, the New Orleans Pelicans are a potential trade partner. They have signaled that they want to hold onto their core players, but at the same time, they are a team very much in flux that needs to find a way to win games this season, as they traded away their first-round pick to add rookie Derik Queen.
Ideally, the Lakers would swap Reaves out for a player who is on Luka's timeline and can defend at a high level while also providing strong secondary scoring and off-ball shooting. That could mean a guard or a forward, but adding size next to Doncic is hardly ever a mistake.
A Reaves for Murphy swap?
That's why targeting Trey Murphy III on the Pelicans makes a lot of sense. He is 6'8" and capable of defending multiple positions, and he has blossomed into a player who scored 21.2 points per game last season and who has show 38.3 percent from deep in his career and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line. This is a young two-way player on the rise.
What would a trade for Murphy look like? Here is one idea pitched by Tom Ziller on his substack recently:
The Pelicans have a steady player in the backcourt to lean on as Jeremiah Fears develops; this deal would obviously make more sense if they hadn't traded for Jordan Poole, but they can't let that mistake stop them from adding a better player. They also take on Vanderbilt's contract, but they may see him as replacing part of Murphy's role and be ok with the remaining money on his deal.
The Lakers get a 3-and-D forward who is on the cusp of becoming an outright star and could make All-Star games moving forward in the Western Conference. He is a very good, if not elite, defensive wing while bringing improved offense in every facet of the game.
He also fits extremely well with Doncic and is under contract for the next four seasons at very reasonable money, likely less than Reaves will demand next summer. Is Murphy a better player than Reaves? Maybe, maybe not, but he is certainly a better fit and will likely be a better value moving forward.
This trade feels unlikely for both sides because of how they value their homegrown talent. If both can rise above the emotional, however, perhaps this trade makes sense for where both teams are trying to go.