Lakers cannot afford to trade Cam Reddish
Speaking of Christie, the Lakers cannot afford to trade the player that is getting playing time over him in the rotation. Cam Reddish has been a real gem for the Lakers this season and to the surprise of many, he has earned the status of being untouchable on the Lakers.
In a vacuum, someone like Rui Hachimura has a higher ceiling than Reddish does simply because of what he can do on offense. But we also have to consider team needs as well as the price of players, both in the contracts they are signed to and in their price on the trade market.
Reddish is signed to a league-minimum deal. That is an absolute bargain for the Lakers and is not one that they should be in a rush to get rid of. Hachimura is making $17 million this season, making him a key contract figure to include in any big swings the team wants to take.
Plus, Reddish adds perimeter defense that is very valuable to the Lakers. Los Angeles can make up Hachimura's bench scoring, especially considering the fact that the team would be trading for a scorer if they were to move on from him.
The Lakers won't be able to make up Reddish's defense if they were to just throw him into a trade for no reason other than to make the money match. Los Angeles has other players (like Hayes) that it can throw in for salary reasons. That player should not be Reddish.