Robert Horry has offered a blunt assessment of Austin Reaves‘ future with the Los Angeles Lakers following the team’s stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic.
When asked how the Lakers should handle Reaves, Horry didn’t hesitate to urge the team to move on.
“If the Lakers were smart, they would do a sign-and-trade,” Horry said.
“And the reason I say that is because when you have a team with two players who are pretty much the same, meaning Luka [Doncic] and AR, and I’m not saying they have the same skill set. They play the same position; they pretty much do the same thing.
“You don’t need two of the same players. The NBA is all about a fit. You look at all the great teams, they all have something different.
There’s no two Jokers. There’s no two Giannises, no two Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders.”
Horry believes Lakers must avoid skill-set overlap
It’s a concept Horry has witnessed up close. Miami‘s famed trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh succeeded because each occupied a distinct lane: scoring wing, attacking guard, versatile big.
In contrast, the Phoenix Suns‘ experiment with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal faltered, he noted, because of overlapping skill sets that left the roster unbalanced.
Applying that lens to the Lakers, Horry sees Doncic and Reaves as too similar.
Both are ball handlers who like to initiate offense, probe defenses, and create shots off the dribble. With LeBron James also demanding touches, the concern is that Los Angeles may be left vulnerable in areas like defense and rebounding.
Viewing Reaves as an asset
From Horry‘s perspective, the solution is businesslike: leverage Reaves‘ value on the market.
“You get rid of him. You love him, but from a business standpoint and from a winning standpoint, and if you can get something great for him, you deal it,” he said.
The Lakers‘ most glaring hole remains on the defensive side, where a perimeter stopper could dramatically shift their title chances.
Trading Reaves, Horry suggested, could be the path to filling that need and creating a roster that complements Doncic and James rather than crowding their strengths.
Read the full article here
