Lakers urged to trade $53 million superstar devastatingly exposed by Thunder in playoffs

“The Thunder series exposed Reaves in devastating fashion. Offensively, he still delivered flashes of scoring punch. His 27-point performance in Game 4 showed his offensive instincts remain valuable. However, playoff basketball is ultimately about survivability on both ends of the floor.”

“Oklahoma City relentlessly hunted him defensively every chance they got. Trading Reaves while his value remains high could allow the Lakers to pursue an elite perimeter defender capable of spacing the floor without requiring constant offensive touches.”

Although Reaves contributed 20.0 points per game against the Thunder, he was inefficient due to poor shot selection and an inability to play within the flow of each game (he shot 40.7% from the field and 25.7% from three).

To make matters worse, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell had his way with Reaves in isolation situations, routinely making it look as though the Oklahoma product was unsure of himself on the defensive end of the floor.

Mitchell averaged 22.5 points per game in the series, signaling that Reaves struggled to contain the 23-year-old guard when on an island. The Lakers could look to cut ties with Reaves via a sign-and-trade.

However, based on Doncic’s recent comments regarding a potential deal involving Reaves (he doesn’t want Los Angeles to trade Reaves for Giannis Antetokounmpo, or any asset for that matter), it won’t be a walk in the park.

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