Despite securing a noteworthy 141-116 win in their recent outing, the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Luka Doncic and LeBron James, have had a run of inconsistent performances lately. To address this, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul even presented a drastic trade idea on the “Game Over Podcast,” facing significant backlash in the process.
Although Paul backed off on his trade suggestion, co-host Max Kellerman took things a step further by outrageously suggesting that the Lakers trade Luka Doncic instead.
“If I were the Lakers, I would give serious consideration to moving Luka,” Kellerman stated. “If you believe there’s a redundancy [between] Austin and Luka, Luka’s a better player than Austin Reaves. I understand that. Luka’s a fantastic player offensively. But if you want to win a championship, I believe that your best player needs to be someone who is willing to at least play team defense, like Steph Curry.”
“Steph is a bad defender, but he is a willing defender… He’s a willing team defender, so the Warriors can field championship teams,” Kellerman continued. “If your best player isn’t that, [it’s] very hard to win a championship.”
“There is a world in which, if you’re really trying to win a championship, and you’re the Lakers, you go, ‘Luka and Austin are redundant. I can get x for Austin. I can get 3x for Luka.’ You might consider moving Luka.”
Paul agreed with Kellerman to some extent, stating that it would be easy to build a team around either Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic if they were made available in a trade scenario. Still, considering Kellerman’s rationale, there is reason to believe that this may not be in the Lakers’ best interests.
The Lakers Should Not Trade Luka Doncic
Contrary to Kellerman’s suggestion, the Los Angeles Lakers do not stand to gain anything by trading Luka Doncic. Although there is some room to criticize the superstar’s defensive involvement and effort, when purely factoring in what he brings to the table on the offensive end, there are hardly any players who have the same impact.
Doncic’s scoring has been otherworldly this season. With averages of 33.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game while shooting 46.4% from the field, he is undoubtedly one of the best offensive players in the game. When also factoring in that he is averaging 1.6 steals per game this season, it can be said that his defensive activity has also seen some improvement.
Building around Luka Doncic appears to be the right move for the Purple and Gold, though it may not yield immediate title success. In this regard, Kellerman’s statement, while sensationalist in nature, appears to have a different intention.
The “Game Over” podcast has hinted at trades involving Austin Reaves, with Paul presenting this idea. While this could indicate an attempt to influence Los Angeles into moving the guard, this may have negative connotations for the Lakers in the long run.
Overall, the Purple and Gold may not have to make any adjustments to their core. However, given the need for upgrades in the big man rotation and the wings, the Lakers are urged to make some moves ahead of the deadline.
