The Los Angeles Lakers are maybe less than enthused about Rich Paul's willingness to speak candidly on the Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul podcast. Especially when one of the ideas put forth by LeBron James' agent involves the subtraction of fan favorite Austin Reaves.
To be clear, nothing in Laker Land suggests the club would seriously consider swapping out Reaves for two-time All-Star (but still imperfect player) Jaren Jackson Jr. But...uh...why not? Look, Reaves is a great (offensive) player, but he's about to cost a whole heap of cash. Plus, the Purple and Gold will be at a defensive disadvantage as long as it keeps the Reaves-Luka Doncic backcourt in place.
Shipping out Reaves (and more) for Jackson (and more) would erase questions about the backcourt fit, offer more stability up front than Deandre Ayton can provide, and scratch nagging itches for defense and distance shooting. The idea is, if nothing else, a fascinating thought exercise—whether the Lakers want to admit that or not.
This trade pitch almost assuredly elicits some eyerolls from the faithful, and that's fine. Fans should feel some type of way about Reaves, who ranks as one of the best developmental success stories in recent memory. Honestly, they might even be warranted for having reservations about Jackson, who's never been a good (or even average) rebounder for his size and has some injury issues in his past.
All of that said, teams almost never get something for nothing, so blockbuster deals will inherently include significant costs. And with L.A.'s asset collection being limited as it is, even stretching the budget as far as it could would hand deliver a perfect player to Hollywood.
There'd be a risk involved, but it would be a calculated risk. For the Lakers, the wager is twofold. First, that Jackson's fit with Doncic would be so much smoother that it would make that combo more impactful than the Reaves-Doncic duo. Second, that there's a legitimate chance that Reaves, who turns 28 in May, might struggle to deliver max-level value on his next contract (assuming it costs that much to get him to sign, which seems a safe assumption at this point).
The Lakers are learning that building a contender around Doncic isn't easy. He's a brilliant offensive player, obviously, but his defensive deficiencies are glaring. And he's so ball-dominant that L.A. needs play-finishers who can handle going multiple possessions without getting a touch.
And that all takes us back to this trade pitch. The Lakers might loose some offensive oomph in the exchange, but they'd stand to get all of that back and then some in defensive progress. Wells is the active, relentless point-of-attack stopper they so desperately need. Jackson is an all-purpose fix for defensive problems—he offers paint protection, perimeter switching, and everything in between.
With both also being ready and willing perimeter shooters, maybe L.A. comes out of this exchange with a more properly spaced-out attack. And maybe that, in turn, makes Doncic even harder to handle on his best end of the floor.
Again, it's a risky proposition, and it'd be a tough sell to fans, but there are basketball reasons to believe this trade just might solve the roster imbalance that is keeping this club from joining the championship chase.