Getty Austin Reaves of the Lakers
It was, by any measure, a very good NBA offseason for the Lakers. They kept together the core of the team that they assembled at the trade deadline last February, added new veteran rotation pieces in guard Gabe Vincent and forward Taurean Prince, then locked up star center Anthony Davis on a maximum contract extension.
But if there was a drawback, it was that the rest of the Western Conference got better, too. Or, at least, it got different.
One player who stuck with the Lakers, guard Austin Reaves made note of one of the big transactions in the West in an appearance on the Full Send podcast this week.
Addressing the acquisition of Chris Paul by the Warriors, Reaves said, “That was random. I was actually doing, me and my brother had kid camp, back home, basketball camp, and one of the coaches that was there, he like ran across the gym and told me. I was like, you’re probably looking at the wrong—I think there’s like butt-crack sports or something that always puts out false stuff—but he was like, ‘No,’ so I don’t know, that was strange.”
Reaves: Warriors ‘Can Figure it Out’ With Paul
Strange, indeed. And while Reaves’ comments on the deal can be seen as critical, they were not as critical as others have been about the addition of Paul, a methodical, half-court point guard, to a run-and-gun backcourt that stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Former Warriors and Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins told Sirius XM Radio, “I didn’t understand the Chris Paul trade. Then I looked at it as if maybe this is just a contract thing. Maybe they want to free up the books for the next season. But as far as it being about basketball, the X’s and O’s on the court, I don’t really see that elevating the Golden State Warriors, to be honest.”
Here’s Mike Dunleavy on the Chris Paul for Jordan Poole trade
Reaves said he thinks the veteran Warriors will make things work. “I think they can figure it out,” he said. “Because I think they’re both two very unselfish guys that really just want to win.”
It was the Lakers who ended the Warriors’ title defense last season in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Reaves averaged 14.3 points in that series, making 54.2% of his 3-pointers, outplaying Thompson, who had 16.2 points but shot just 38.1% from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line.
Suns Also Bulked Up With Bradley Beal
Reaves was also asked about the Suns, who brought in Bradley Beal to a group that already has two of the best scorers in the league, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
“Brad going to Phoenix they got they already had two or three guys that really just score the ball and you know, it’s gonna be a long night defensively when you go play them, but we’re confident what we got,” Reaves said.
And it’s possible we have not seen the last of the major transactions out West. There is still the chance that the Clippers land Sixers star James Harden, as well as the would-be deal that has held the league hostage for weeks: Damian Lillard possibly going from Portland to Miami.
Reaves would not speculate on how that will play out. “Oh, I have no idea,” he said. “I think I seen something today or yesterday when the Portland GM was like, ‘We’ll wait as long as we need to wait,’ until they get the deal that they want. I have no idea.”