It’s almost been a year since Luka Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade that shook the NBA to its very core. Has he been putting up the numbers since then? As good as ever before, if not better. But has it brought success to the Lakers? Not yet.
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The Lakers are in a limbo. They looked like contenders in the first few weeks, but since then, have had several issues, particularly in defense, cause them troubles. Discussions surrounding the same have been so unhinged that LeBron James’ agent declared that the team should trade Austin Reaves away.
Now, Max Kellerman has come forward to state that it must be Luka Doncic. The reason? Doncic doesn’t play defense.
“Let me say what I would do. If I were the Lakers, I would give serious consideration to moving Luka!” Kellerman exclaimed on the Game Over podcast.
It should be noted that he said this after Paul went on a long monologue about Kellerman getting him into trouble, given his ties to the Lakers through James. It was a tongue-in-cheek comment between friends. At the same time, it rang true.
“If you want to win a championship, I believe that your best player needs to at least be someone who is willing to play team defense,” Kellerman said, before also stating that Doncic and Reaves cannot play together.
The analyst went on to mention that great players like Stephen Curry aren’t the best defenders in the world, but they’re willing defenders. They are willing to buy into a team system and at least give it a shot. Kellerman seemingly doesn’t see Doncic as this type of player.
This was reminiscent of what former Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison said when he shipped Doncic away in the first place.
Rich Paul addresses his comments about trading Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr and Max Kellerman says Lakers need to trade Luka
Rich: My guy Reggie who is Austin’s agent, we talked… we talked about it and Im like, look Reggie, you’re my man. I want Austin to know this is… pic.twitter.com/IDZRtNqV3D
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) January 14, 2026
The Lakers traded for Doncic last season to give themselves a better chance to win a title. It would make zero sense to trade him away simply because he and Reaves are considered redundant.
Furthermore, these statements are beginning to have repercussions. As mentioned earlier, Paul was confronted by Reaves’ agent over the idea that the Lakers should trade him away. Even LeBron James had to come out and clarify that what he and Rich believe are two separate things, and that Paul is entitled to his own opinion.
At one point on the show, Paul felt compelled to say that he likes Reaves. That alone shows how much his comments ruffled important feathers and why he wanted to clear the air. He and Kellerman also attempted to defend themselves by explaining that this is what they would do if they were running the Lakers. It is not necessarily what they believe the team should actually do.
