Any time is a good time to talk NBA trades, but it especially is now, with the deadline just a few short weeks away. One team that always seems to be active on the trade front is the Lakers, and with LeBron James nearing the end of his career, L.A. could have some urgency to make a win-now deal to push closer to title contention.
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Then again, the Lakers are a good but flawed team, and it will be difficult if not impossible to make any moves that could help them stop the Thunder from repeating. They also reset their timeline by sending Anthony Davis to the Mavericks for Luka Doncic at this time last year, so they may be more inclined to look to the future when contemplating any potential trades right now.
Rich Paul, LeBron’s longtime agent, came up with an idea earlier this week that has ruffled some feathers. He thinks the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr. It’s easy to see that Paul shouldn’t be doing this, but let’s separate that part out for a moment. Is this something the Lakers should actually consider? Paul Pierce believes it is.
“I think that makes sense,” the former Celtics star said on today’s episode of No Fouls Given.
“I don’t feel good about giving Austin Reaves a max contract … I think he’s gonna get a lot of money from somebody else, but if I’m the Lakers building around Luka, like Rich Paul said, I don’t want to throw $500 million into my backcourt. I need more of a balance,” he argued.
Swapping Reaves for JJJ would be a clear signal from the Lakers that they’re prioritizing defense more than they have recently. Jackson was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and would give the Lakers much more switchability and rim protection than they currently have.
Luka and Reaves are the highest-scoring duo in the league, but Pierce believes the Lakers need more than that to seriously compete. “I’m not sure you can build around a Luka-Austin Reaves backcourt,” he said. “The way the league is, with the speed and the dynamics of defense and 3-point shooting, that’s not a good recipe for winning. Just my opinion, but I just wouldn’t.”
Danny Green disagreed. “I like ’em, man, I like ’em together, honestly,” he said. “I think those are two good players you can build around.”
Green, who won his third ring as part of the Lakers’ 2020 team, noted that Reaves isn’t “a great defender, but I don’t think he’s a liability.”
He also pointed out that LeBron’s salary could be coming off the books, which would free up the money to pay Reaves and still have some left that can be used to bolster the frontcourt.
Reaves has become a beloved player in L.A. He’s vastly improved his game every season he’s been in the league, while Jackson has stagnated and even taken a step back this year.
Reaves easily clears him in terms of scoring and assists, and is neck-and-neck with him when it comes to rebounding. He also shoots a higher percentage despite being a guard.
Memphis may well end up trading Jackson if, as expected, they trade Ja Morant. Sending both players away would trigger a full-scale rebuild, especially after the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane to the Magic this past offseason.
There’s a lot that Jackson could bring to the Lakers, but should they be willing to trade Reaves for him? It depends who you ask. He’s actually a player that would really complement Reaves’ game if they played together.
The Lakers could cobble something together like Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht and a few first-rounders to get a deal over the finish line. Hachimura and Vincent are on expiring contracts, so the Grizzlies could clear their books and have the draft capital to build back up.
We’ll find out soon what direction each team takes before the deadline, but if last year’s Luka acquisition taught us something, it’s that anything is possible.
