The La Lakers should be aware of changes to the roster this offseason, Stephen A. Smith warns.
It’s not a knee-headed response to the LA Lakers claim that their roster needs to be changed following the elimination of their first round in the NBA playoffs.
The Lakers’ roster was not openly balanced, so general manager Rob Perinka admitted that the team needs to add more sizes and more wing defenses.
LeBron James and Luka Donsic are still the cornerstones of the team, but everyone else still has a question mark.
The Austin Raves were the player who performed in the playoffs on his own entry, and later revealed that the Lakers star was injured.
The Reaves were great all season, with James supporting him despite his playoff struggles.
Stephen A. Smith is determined that the Lakers must stick with Austin Reeves.
He told the podcast:
“He has established himself as the authentic third option for Lake Los Angeles. He averages around 20 points this year, and he’s been significantly improving.
“And if you’re trying to move him, okay, what fair compensation are you going to get in return for his services? Because once again, the pay doesn’t necessarily match.
“He’s awfully low wages, so he’s awfully low wages, so that’s one of those situations where if you move him, you’re about to change shortly when you return home.”
The Austin Raves already have the support of GM Rob Perinka. He is determined to maintain him, claiming that it is “in his heart” through Luka Donsic’s trade.
Describing Reaves as a “Swiss Army Knife,” Pelinka is very much in the abilities of previously undrafted players who played at a high level in the regular season.
But it all depends on how high the Lakers want to swing when it comes to trading this summer.
Brian Windhorst has accused the Dallas Mavericks of “cheating” for failing to land the lead in Donkic’s trade, and the team is likely to ask questions when the deal is discussed this offseason.