Rich Paul is right about Lakers' Austin Reaves

LeBron James had to walk back comments that his agent made about the Los Angeles Lakers trading his longest-tenured teammate. Still, Rich Paul may be right about the future of Austin Reaves in Los Angeles.

On his podcast, "Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul," the Klutch Sports CEO proposed the Lakers trade Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies for All-Star forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. 

"If you're building around Luka going forward, you need that anchor," Paul said on the podcast. "And Jaren doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild."

While Reaves is a popular star averaging 26.6 points this season, his contract status means the Lakers have to consider their options with the fifth-year guard.

Austin Reaves is about to become an expensive player

Reaves has been a huge success story for the Lakers. He wasn't drafted out of Oklahoma in 2022, but by his second season, Reaves was one of the best sixth men in the NBA. By his third season, Reaves was entrenched in the starting lineup, playing the second-most minutes on the team. He's improved his scoring numbers every season, displaying solid passing numbers, a good outside shot and an incredible ability to get himself to the free-throw line (8.6 attempts per game).

He's been in an incredible bargain so far. Reaves made just $2.5M over his first two NBA seasons, and NBA rules limited him to a four-year, $53.8M deal when he became a free agent before the 2023-24 season. The final year of that contract is a player option, meaning that Reaves will likely opt out of his $13.9M salary for 2026-27 and sign a massive new contract more befitting his talent and accomplishments.

Reaves turned down a four-year extension for $89M this summer, the most the Lakers could offer him. He's clearly in line for a deal of more than $100M, with one NBA executive speculating he could make $180M over four years. The Lakers would love to retain Reaves, but a huge deal for him would make it difficult to add players around him and Luka Doncic, who is due to make $103.6M over the next two seasons.

Is Austin Reaves the ideal long-term fit for Luka Doncic?

While the Reaves-Doncic backcourt is dynamic offensively, it is lacking on the defensive end. The Lakers are 24th in defensive rating this season, with neither Doncic or Reaves profiling as a plus defender. With the NBA's punitive penalties for going over the luxury tax aprons, they'd be locked into a Doncic-Reaves core for years but limited in what they could add around them. 

That's why the end of Reaves' deal might be an opportunity for the Lakers, who thus far have shown no inclination to trade Reaves. James was quick to distance himself from his agent's comments. He told ESPN's Dave McMenamin, "AR knows how I feel about him, and I hope AR — or his camp -- don't look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich."

Regardless, the Lakers should explore who is the best fit going forward with Doncic. It would be hard to make such a move before this summer, since Reaves's smaller salary this season is difficult to match with a star like Jackson or some other defensive-minded big man.

Rich Paul has created an uncomfortable situation for his friend James. He's not necessarily wrong about what he suggested.