Rich Paul thinks trading Austin Reaves is the price Los Angeles Lakers must pay to build around Luka Doncic

For the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves has long been the golden boy, from an undrafted success story to becoming a cornerstone for them. But as the 2026 trade deadline approaches, Rich Paul has tossed a grenade into the conversation. His recent suggestion on the Game Over podcast wasn't just idle chatter, it was a cold and calculated blueprint on how to build a team around Luka Doncic. According to Paul, if the Lakers want to maximize their championship window with Luka, they have to be willing to part with their most beloved role player to land a defensive titan like Jaren Jackson Jr.

Rich Paul suggests Lakers to trade Austin Reeves

The lack of defense on Lakers’ roster was a horrible sight to see when they traveled to Sacramento on Monday night, only to receive a blowout loss. Emphasizing the defensive perspective, Rich Paul said, “If I was the Lakers I would be targeting the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson… If you’re building around Luka you need that anchor. Jaren doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild… if you’re able to trade out expirings and trade the last 1st you got or you can withhold and give up less but this comes with a more unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved. There’s a world you can do what’s best for your team, and what’s best for Austin. Austin deserves to get paid… Memphis would definitely pay Austin. He would become their leading scorer and PG.”


Paul also added, “But if you can keep Austin, have Jaren some kind of way, and have Luka, but they are going to take up most of your money, and I don’t get into the discount thing for any player…I don’t know Austin’s value to the Lakers or anybody else, but he deserves to get paid a lot of money. Memphis would definitely pay Austin. He would become their leading scorer and point guard.”

Reeves has been averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc this season and is currently out after suffering a left calf strain in late December 2025.

Rich Paul’s point is simple: you can’t build a house without an anchor. While the Lakers have elite offensive gravity with Doncic and a 41-year-old LeBron James still providing steady production, they lack a defensive anchor. And, Jackson is the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year. With the Grizzlies' (17-22 ) struggling performance this season, JJJ might take a chance at the championship with this trade.


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