While it was last season that Austin Reaves had his coming out party for the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s in this current campaign that the 25-year-old has firmly established himself as a key player for the squad. It goes without saying that Reaves will be integral to whatever success this squad achieves this season.
If you ask Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, however, the Hall of Fame big man believes that now would be the right time for LA to cash in on Reaves.
Shaq Wants Los Angeles Lakers to Trade Austin Reaves
Speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, O’Neal explained why he believes the Lakers would be better off without the 6-foot-5 shooting guard:
“Got to get rid of Reaves,” he said. “Give me another guy that can do that, but a guy that’s a little more consistent. I’m not saying Reaves ain’t consistent, but when you’re playing and going for a championship, you can have no inconsistency. … I’m going to use Reaves because Reaves is talented.”
To a certain extent, I guess you could say that this is Shaq showing how much value he sees in Reaves. Either way, though, he still wants to see the Lakers part ways with the highly-popular Reaves, which likely won’t sit well with more than a few supporters out there.
Jamal Crawford’s Intriguing Anthony Davis Trade Plot
O’Neal’s co-host, Jamal Crawford, took it a step further by suggesting an Anthony Davis trade. The former NBA star’s argument stems from the need to surround LeBron James with as much firepower as the Lakers can in his last few remaining years.
Apparently, Crawford does not believe that AD is the right man alongside LeBron:
“They don’t have to even compete right now,” Crawford argued. “My thing is, if LeBron is still your best player at this point, I’m looking at trading Anthony Davis.
“… You can get four, five pieces to go with him that fit LeBron if LeBron’s still going to be your best player.”
Jamal Crawford thinks the Lakers should trade AD 👀
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/5clxBNeewE) pic.twitter.com/NLZkYbGPT7
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 27, 2024
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