Tim Bontemps after Luka trade: ‘I’m thinking long and hard about trading Austin Reaves today’

Even before the Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, it was an open secret that the team was lacking depth at the big man position. Now, the Lakers are particularly thin up front and might have a logjam of guards and wings.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps openly questioned guard Austin Reaves’ fit on the Lakers now that the team has Doncic on the roster as well, and he suggested that it could be helpful for Los Angeles to use Reaves to trade for a big.

“Austin Reaves doesn’t really fit with the Lakers anymore,” Bontemps said in reaction to the blockbuster trade. “And if I am the Lakers, this week, I personally — as I react to this real time and think about it — I’m thinking long and hard about trading Austin Reaves today. ‘Cause Austin Reaves, right now, is owed $12.9 million this year and $13.9 million next year. And then he’s got a player option he ain’t gonna pick up the following year.

“And his trade value is probably never gonna be higher than it is right now. And if you could turn him into some significant stuff, whether it’s draft picks, whether it’s maybe some size inside, which they now don’t have. I mean — I think that is a very interesting domino to watch over the next few days. Now, maybe they don’t do anything with Austin Reaves. I don’t have any reporting on this, to be clear.”

By all accounts, Reaves is enjoying a career year in his fourth season in the NBA. He’s posting career-highs in points, assists and steals per contest.

Reaves’ defining skills may be his scoring and playmaking chops. The 26-year-old can put the ball through the bottom of the net from all three levels and is also more than comfortable with creating his own scoring opportunities. A whopping 102 of his 257 made shots from the field so far this season have not stemmed from assists.

Furthermore, Reaves has improved by leaps and bounds as a facilitator since he first entered the NBA. He averaged 1.8 as a rookie compared to 6.1 per game this season. Only James is averaging more assists for the Lakers.

But breaking down what Reaves brings to the table arguably only strengthens the argument that Los Angeles should move on from him after trading for Doncic, as the Slovenian is every bit as impactful as Reaves as an isolation scorer and playmaker and then some.

Doncic is one of the NBA’s top passers, as he’s averaged 8.3 assists per game for his pro career and is dishing out 7.8 this season. Additionally, far fewer than half of his 216 made shots from the floor have come off assists.

With all of that in mind, the Lakers would still perhaps be jumping the gun if they traded Reaves without even seeing how he fits on the same team as Doncic. Maybe in spite of what Bontemps believes, Reaves and Doncic will prove to be quite the positive pairing in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.