Paul Pierce says whether he thinks the LA Lakers should trade Austin Reaves this offseason

Paul Pierce tells the LA Lakers to trade Austin Reaves

2008 NBA champion Pierce is by no means a Lakers fan, but he regularly discusses the team as a pundit these days.

He explained that Austin Reaves is actually a better fit alongside Luka Doncic than LeBron James, due to his shooting and playmaking.

However, since LeBron is highly unlikely to exit the team, he would trade Reaves for some more defensive-minded players.

“I do love him with Luka, but not with Luka and LeBron,” Pierce said. “He fits the mold of the type of player that Luka likes. He can catch and shoot, and he can make plays.

“If he and Luka were out there, and in LeBron’s position was a 3-and-D guy or another athlete… It’s just that LeBron is going to take up so much of the offense and not give you the defense, and so is Luka, that I don’t need Reaves.

“He does the same things they do. It’s kind of repetitive having those three. So I think you should trade him.

“You need to find a way to get younger, more athletic, and [add] shooting. They have a number of problems. People think this is a quick fix.”

The LA Lakers’ biggest offseason needs assessed

Reaves is clearly the Lakers’ third-best player, behind James and Doncic, despite underperforming in the playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

However, like Pierce pointed out, the three are all lackluster defenders, so it’s extremely difficult to build a title contender around them.

The Lakers probably do need to trade Reaves for one of two types of players: perimeter defenders and a rim protector, or both, ideally.

If they have to choose between the two, a center should be the priority. Jaxson Hayes simply is not good enough to be a starter on a good team.