The LA Lakers should be careful with changes to their roster this off-season, Stephen A. Smith warns.
It is not a kneejerk reaction to claim the LA Lakers need to change their roster following their first round elimination in the NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers’ roster was openly unbalanced, and general manager Rob Pelinka has admitted the team need to add more size, and more wing defense.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic are still the cornerstones of the team, but there are still question marks over everybody else.
Austin Reaves is player who underperformed in the playoffs, by his own admission, with it later revealed the Lakers star was playing through injury.
Reaves was excellent through the season, with James Worthy backing him despite his playoff woes.
Stephen A. Smith is adamant the Lakers must hang onto Austin Reaves, as his relatively cheap salary means they will not get fair value.
He told his podcast: “Here’s the problem with an Austin Reaves is making about $13 million. If you move him, how much equitable compensation are you getting in return?
“He’s established himself as a bona fide number three option for the Los Angeles Lake. He’s average about 20 points game this year. He’s improved vastly.
“And if you’re going to move him, Okay, what kind of equitable compensation are you going to get in return for his services? Because at $13 million again, the salaries don’t necessarily match.
“He’s grossly underpaid. So because he’s grossly underpaid, you know, it’s one of those situations where, if you move him, you’re going to get short changed on the return.”
Austin Reaves already has the backing of GM Rob Pelinka, who claimed he was ‘on his mind’ throughout the Luka Doncic trade, determined to keep him.
Describing Reaves as a ‘Swiss Army knife’, Pelinka is a big believer in the ability of the once undrafted player, who performed at a high level in the regular season.
But it all depends on how high the Lakers want to swing, when it comes to trades this summer.
Brian Windhorst slammed the Dallas Mavericks for ‘malpractice’ in failing to land Reaves in the Doncic trade, and teams are likely to ask the question when trades are discussed this off-season.
