With superstar LeBron James certain to play at least one more NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers should offer practically any asset they have to enhance their team.
The Lakers’ “poster boy” for trade rumors this offseason is standout guard Austin Reaves, who is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 46 percent and 37.7 percent from three-point range.
The Miami Heat, who are in need of a big roster overhaul, could be interested in Reaves. Although Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were able to lead the team to the first round of the playoffs, the postseason was a wash after franchise cornerstone Jimmy Butler was traded in February. This series of incidents prompted team president Pat Riley to express his strong desire to avoid running it again next season.
Enter FanSided’s suggested blockbuster deal between the Heat and the Lakers, which achieves Riley’s desire.
Heat receives: Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber.
Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. all joining the Lakers.
This is an impressive package for the Heat to part with for Reaves, since Wiggins is a previous All-Star with big-stage experience, while Ware and Jaquez Jr. have shown star potential early in their careers.
“The Heat have a more pressing need for what Reaves can bring,” the paper stated. “They need another shot creator to relieve Herro of some of the workload. They could use more shooting to give Adebayo more space in the interior. And, basically, they could just improve their overall scoring production.”
A backcourt of Reaves and Herro could undoubtedly carry the scoring load, but it might also present major problems on defense. While Adebayo can continue to dominate the interior, teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks would exploit this hypothetical backcourt with their top guards (Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson).
Miami’s front management adopted a same mindset when trading for former Charlotte Hornets player Terry Rozier. Although the Heat were unsuccessful in acquiring Rozier, it may be smart to pursue another offensive-minded guard to pair with Herro at the proper pricing.
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