Believe it or not, we’re still talking about the trade that rocked the NBA in February between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. Then again, considering the players involved, this trade will always be talked about, and that’s just how it’s going to be. Although the main characters in the deal—Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić—are the priority talking points in the discussion, ESPN’s NBA senior writer Brian Windhorst believes that one player left out in the Mavericks-Lakers trade, Austin Reaves, is just as significant as a discussion point as the rest.
NBA Expert Criticizes Mavericks Flub in Lakers Trade
Brian Windhorst Calls Out Dallas Mavericks Mistake In Not Acquiring Lakers Star Austin Reaves in the Trade ‘Malpractice’
How Rob Pelinka was able to stop the breaks after Max Christie might be genius. No disrespect to Christie, who was having his best season in the NBA before the trade. He was impressing JJ Redick with his defense and overall improvement from last season. Still, how Christie was traded before someone like Reaves is highly questionable. In a trade of this magnitude initiated by the Mavericks involving one of the top three players in the league in Dončić, Reaves, outside of LeBron James, was the next best piece the Lakers had that you would think most teams if not all, would ask for in return. Well, as it stands, Reaves was not part of the end-deal, and Windhorst had maybe the best term to describe the Mavericks failure to land Reaves alongside Davis on The Hoops Hype podcast recently [13:50 mark].
“As Austin Reaves continues to have big game after big game. He had 31 against the Warriors in the loss with a 20 point fourth quarter. He had 30 on Friday in a win over the Pelicans, he had a huge first half today [against the Thunder]. It continues to be malpractice that Austin Reaves is still on the Lakers and not on the Mavericks.”
Windhorst would go on to reference Reaves’s massive performances last week to make his case. But Reaves has played at career-high levels all season long, and he’s proving to fit seamlessly between LeBron and Luka. So, the fact that Dallas didn’t acquire Reaves and only a single first-round pick down the road outside of AD and Christie is malpractice, as Windhorst says.
Is AR Safe Long-Term?
Given Reaves’s season, career-high statistics, and the fit he has created with James and Dončić, the Lakers can’t give him up now. It’s evident he and Luka play well with each other, which counts for something once LeBron eventually retires. Reaves is playing his way into a long-term situation in Los Angeles. Hopefully, the Lakers brass will see what everyone else sees. You could say he’s becoming invaluable over others on the roster who are not named LeBron or Luka. If Reaves goes out and performs at a high level in the playoffs, it only further makes his case.
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