Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Can the Lakers Trade for a High Quality Center Without Including Austin Reaves?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, everybody, welcome to Lock on Lakers for Wednesday. Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky. Can the Lakers get themselves a high-end center without trading Austin Reeves? That is next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Lockdown Lakers first listen to every day,

Starting point is 00:00:32 Monday through Friday, no matter how where you get your podcast, this one's always going to be free. and never behind a paywall. And of course, locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 35,000 subscribers to the channel, Andy, all of whom are still trying to figure out

Starting point is 00:00:46 how exactly the Lakers are going to fill this gaping hole if they have at center that is not a secret. Exactly. I mean, it's not unknown around the league that the Lakers have a gap in their lineup at the position. and wouldn't shock me if teams make it hard for them to fill it. So we'll get into all of that. Plus, Andy, it is the anniversary of the single greatest press conference in NBA history.

Starting point is 00:01:19 That happened on Tuesday. So we'll talk about that momentarily. Do you want to let people know that today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase. So we've done a lot over the last few episodes trying to figure out a bunch of different things related to the center position. Can they get one free agency? Can they think about a trade? What is the trade value of Austin Reeves following the Desmond Bain deal where he goes to Orlando from Memphis for a pretty significant hall of stuff for first round picks plus Cantavius Calwell Pope?

Starting point is 00:02:04 and Cole Anthony also going back to Memphis. And a pick swap, although highly, highly protected pick swap. Yes. It kind of gets back to this basic question of like, how are the Lakers going to get themselves this center? We talked on Tuesday show. Like if the Lakers can't get themselves somebody like, You know, they couldn't get Stephen Adams, but like even of all the way down to like Luke Cornett or whoever it is,

Starting point is 00:02:38 like this small taxpayer mid-level just doesn't get you that good a center. Do you pivot and get a better player at a different need? It's hard to figure out exactly where they're going to get a really good player. And certainly if they are going to get a good player, does it have to include Austin Reeves in a trade? I mean, as we talked about, they're almost certainly going to have to make. make a trade in order to get a center of significance. We talked about Clint Capella as maybe an emphasis on maybe the best center that they could potentially get with a taxpayer mid-level exception. And by maybe I want to make it clear. I don't mean that maybe he's the best. He's

Starting point is 00:03:23 absolutely the best. I mean maybe in terms of it potentially even being viable. Like he is at the absolute upper end of a center that I can even sort of squint and imagine possibly being getable for a taxpayer mid-level exception, largely because if I had to guess, Clint Capella would, the Hawks would not be interested in bringing him back, and he would see the Lakers as the best opportunity for him to get enough playing time to play on a one-year taxpayer mid-level, then re-enter free agency at, I want to say, age 32, try to get one last significant deal in his 30s. Also, I want to correct myself quickly when I said that the draft swap was highly protected. I met, it's actually top one or two overall pick protected.

Starting point is 00:04:18 In that sense, it's quite lightly protected. I was thinking of high draft pick. Just want to make sure I phrase this right. But it is going to be very, somewhere between. difficult, impossible, and why are you even debating this, trying to come up with ways for for the Lakers to get a good center without a trade being involved with or without Austin Reeves. The machinations just simply aren't out there, nor is the center market going to be available for the Lakers with just a little under $6 million.

Starting point is 00:04:54 Right. And it's funny because, you know, one of the, one of the biggest reasons I think not to put Reeves out on the block is ironically given the season he's coming off of where statistically he did things that, you know, I think only 12 other players or something in the league did in terms of the numbers that he put up every night. And he is, I believe, the youngest player to put up the numbers that he did or certainly one of them. So like his value is high in the sense that I think a lot of people got a good taste of what Austin Reeves is, how good, you know, how much he's improved, numbers get better every year and all that kind of stuff. But in some ways, you're trading

Starting point is 00:05:42 for him at the low point of his value because of this contract question, because a team, A, understands that he's going to get significantly more expensive, but they could be okay with that. A lot of teams are you. You do get still one kind of cheap year of the game. guy, which you can factor in. Maybe it helps you out this year with your payroll, whatever it might be. But the problem is he's not locked up for anything after this upcoming season, and you know he is not going to extend with your team. If you trade for Austin Reeves this summer, you know he will not be signing an extension.

Starting point is 00:06:23 It is different than other situations where you don't, you know, but like the guy could, if he wants to, Austin's going to cost himself tens of millions of dollars. Tens of millions of dollars by signing an extension this offseason. He's not doing it for the Lakers. He's not doing it for any team. So I do think that mitigates some of that value, whereas a guy, as you pointed out in I think it was Tuesday's show, maybe it might have been Monday, somebody like

Starting point is 00:06:53 Bain is locked up until 2029, I think it is. So yes, you, he's not going anywhere. Like you just, you have that certainty that you don't have with Austin. And that makes it harder to get maximum value in, you know, in terms of just player comps, it just makes it a little harder. What's also really interesting about this, too, like beyond the fact of the Lakers figuring out just how much they truly believe in a core. or that could be built, you know, like a foundation that would be built around Luca Dachachin and Austin Reeves because even if LeBron is part of that equation for the time being,

Starting point is 00:07:37 like we know there are only so many more years that LeBron is going to be involved with this. And, you know, LeBron being an open-ended situation creates complications of its own, but anything long-term is not going to involve him. It's really a Luca Austin core, can that be properly built around? But in thinking about this, in terms of specifically trading Austin for center, and it should be made clear, that should not be the only position that you think about trading Austin for if you are willing to trade Austin. If you're mulling this over, you should be thinking about all of the needs that the Lakers

Starting point is 00:08:15 are looking to shore up. It's just center is the most. Well, it's the most glare. I mean, they literally have no NBA centers under contract for next year. Jackson Hayes is an unrestricted free agent, Kristen Coloco, if you even consider him an NBA center at this point. He's a restricted free agent, Trey Jemison, the third, is on a two-way deal. So they literally have nobody. But if you start going around the league, like just looking at centers that could be potential trade targets, once you eliminate some of the centers that just this is a stupid discussion, it's not going to happen.

Starting point is 00:08:53 Wembe, Yokic, I think you can put a vizza Zubots in that category. Like these are things that are not going to happen. I think Nyeko and Kongwu, the way Atlanta clearly likes him and he's young, he's rising. I don't picture that happening. I would be very, very surprised if Miles Turner could be a possibility and a science. Yeah, no, there's, there, you know, you can, you can go through listening. And then you just, it's pretty obvious to most people would be like, that's not a thing. But here, and we can talk about this next, what starts becoming even more complicated with this is however willing the Lakers are to start mulling over, like really seriously considering.

Starting point is 00:09:39 We may not want to, but we actually may have to trade Austin. And if you start specifically thinking about this for a center, there, there aren't that many. that I think are actually worth it in a deal for Austin, much less that you maybe could actually get in a deal for Austin. We can talk about this coming up. Like it's actually, even if you're willing to put Austin out there, it may not totally solve the problem. Well, let's do that next.

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Starting point is 00:11:24 create an account, use the code locked in NBA for 20 bucks off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem the code L-O-C-K-E-B-O-N-N-B-A for $20 off. Download the GameTime app, last-minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. All right. So before we move back on to this center question, Tuesday was a very fun anniversary for Lakers fans. it was the anniversary of the Game 7 against the Celtics 15 years ago.

Starting point is 00:12:05 The anniversary of one of the most amazing games, I think I've ever had a chance to witness and certainly the greatest post-game press conference that anybody has ever seen with Meta World Peace and his family. I got Wheaties. Kobe passed me the ball, never passed me the ball. And I remember the part like, you know, like pass, but don't shoot, don't shoot. Shot it anyway.

Starting point is 00:12:32 Like all the whole thing was just, it was stunning. It. You and I, Brian, have a, you know, we've covered the Lakers for now going on about 20 years, meaning we've been to a lot of press game post conferences. We've covered a few NBA finals. So we've been to even a lot of finals post game press conferences. There you go. MetaWorld Peace is the only.

Starting point is 00:12:57 where after his press conference concluded the media plotted. That has never happened. It was that good. And the best part was you and I, as we were leaving then Staples Center, late night, we finished filing everything we're doing for at the time, ESPN.com. We go out in the LA Live Plaza and we run into a totally hammered Ron Artec, who is still wearing his Lakers uniform. either to the club, from the club, both, whatever.

Starting point is 00:13:31 But it was like a little league kid who went out for postgame ice cream. It was amazing. And just yet another reason why Ron Artec slash Meta World Peace, he's just the best. And you, of course, combine that with the game seven itself, which was, you know, it's hard to think of a game that upon which a player's legacy in many ways, pivoted more than the meaning of that game for Kobe. Not that I'm not trying to claim, like the guy's not a Hall of Fame or something if they don't win in 2010.

Starting point is 00:14:06 But if they don't, then he's got one title without Shaq. Lost twice to the Celtics. Lost twice to the Celtics. And, you know, if they don't pull that game out, lost to Boston in game seven after playing a terrible, what would have been a terrible game by Kobe's standards.

Starting point is 00:14:25 Terrible shooting game. He actually did a lot of things. did a lot of other things, but that's what people were going to remember was the terrible shooting. Of course. You know, bouncing balls off his foot, turnovers. It was just, it was a crazy, crazy night. I mean, it was a great reminder that a player can contribute in other ways than scoring. But overall, it was not a good game from Kobe.

Starting point is 00:14:48 I think it's hard to claim that was a good game. Kobe wouldn't have, didn't claim. Here's the thing. Here's what I'm doing. His line was he found ways to contribute, and that's true. But he didn't call that a good game. Whether he would call it a good game or not, I would say 15 rebounds and shut down defense,

Starting point is 00:15:09 you know, in particular on Rajan Rondo. That's pretty good stuff. I mean, like, is it a complete great game from Kobe? No. Is 6 of 24 from the field? It's something that you're going to remember in particular with Kobe? Yes. but I still to this day think Kobe did on balance more whether you want to call it good or not

Starting point is 00:15:34 you did a lot that was really impressive in that game. A lot was impressed. I found to be perfectly honest, I thought the, you know, if we agree, it was not a top level game. It's not that he didn't do anything, but I found the sort of humanity of it all to be the most amazing. The two, I think, most amazing moments that I saw with Kobe were that one, where he, you know, post game after the, you know, there's the sort of the opposite of the, the, the, the, our test press conference where Kobe is really revealing as much about like how the pressure of that in the moment and all these other things, like, it was really hard for him. Like he was, he, he got kind of. It overwhelmed him. It overwhelmed.

Starting point is 00:16:16 It overwhelmed. It affected the, his ability to, to play at the level that, that he expects. just how much he wanted that game and needed that game. He wanted it too badly in all honesty. I think so. And that moment and the moment where he shot the free throws after the Achilles, it's like, you know, I guess for me, it's you see the person inside this incredible level of achievement and incredible drive and all these other things.

Starting point is 00:16:49 And it's sort of both of those moments in a lot of ways stripped away the branding and the, you know, the, all the, the stuff that he would do to create this persona that went along with Kobe. And it was two examples to me of just seeing sort of the guy at the core of it in two very different situations. I mean, we we covered Kobe for 10 years. And while neither one of us developed like, a personal relationship with Kobe. I think we both got to know him reasonably well on a professional level. I mean, we were around him. And it's just for people I understand too, like that era, you know, sort of just the way media works around the NBA, you just were closer to players much more frequently.

Starting point is 00:17:37 You had more direct access. You know, both of us would have side conversations with Kobe, stuff like that. But just, you know, he would wander through the media room while we're all sitting there waiting for stuff. Like you just, you were around players much more than you are now. they're kept much more separate from, at least certainly with the Lakers. No, it's like that with all teams. You compare notes with a lot of people who cover teams around the league.

Starting point is 00:17:59 And it may not be as stark as the Lakers, but it's more common, certainly, than it used to be. But anyway, one of the things you and I used to say all the time with covering Kobe is the most, I think, underreported, under-examined part of, you know, an athlete who was truly, like, globally, iconic and I think it's safe to say scrutinized on you know they unpeeled just about every single layer of that onion but I think one of the things that wasn't paid attention to enough with Kobe is just how interesting he was like he was just a really interesting person like he was a fascinating person like in terms of his strengths his character flaws what made him you know incredibly compelling charismatic to be totally honest weird at times like there

Starting point is 00:18:49 was a weirdness to Kobe that was really interesting. He talked about it in maybe not in exactly those terms, but he was, I mean, honestly, I extremely funny. He was one of the, one of the smartest athletes you and I have ever covered. Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, I'm super, not just basketball smart. Like, you know, intellectually curious in a way.

Starting point is 00:19:10 And I was going to say, like he, he is interesting as a person. Yes. in some ways for yeah you know we we it's I don't want to ignore the controversies and some of the the darker aspects of of of his career but in ways setting that aside even for a moment the way is like he is the anti-jordan in a lot because i don't think michael jordan as a particularly interesting figure other than sort of the mythology and the competitiveness and all that I would have said, like he has not remained an interesting person

Starting point is 00:19:51 or an interesting figure in his post career life. I don't. I don't find Jordan particularly interesting in that way. Kobe, I think, would have continued to be somebody that you wanted to see what he was doing or would have been doing interesting thing, not to say that he would have been universally popular. Again, the history is the history.

Starting point is 00:20:12 But he's just, he was so alike in terms of Jordan on the floor, in terms of how Kobe patterned how he played, and very different, I feel, in almost every other way. So that was interesting. Anyway, I wanted to mention that anniversary, which obviously that was one of the most amazing games that you and I have ever had a chance to see.

Starting point is 00:20:40 June 17th, Tuesday, as we were recording this, Wednesday is a lot of people will be listening. Right. So yeah, that was the anniversary coming up that happened on Tuesday. Let's get back to this AR question and the center question and the trade question. And a quick LeBron update as well. Lock on Lakers is brought to you by Ollipop. It is a new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda, or even somebody like me who quite frankly doesn't even like soda.

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Starting point is 00:22:18 and I'm not skeptical anymore. So get a free can of Olipop. Just buy any two in a store and they'll reimburse you for one. Head to DrinkOllipop.com slash Locked-on NBA to claim your free can and find an olive pop near you. That's drink-Ollipop.com slash locked-on MBA. We can get into the future question of LeBron James in terms of when, when, you know, signs about how long he might be playing of this,

Starting point is 00:22:52 but he did mention in his, this was on mine the game, wasn't it? No, this was an interview. Oh, no, you're right, you're right, you're right. It's an interview attached to the promotion of an Amazon commercial that he just cut, which is a very weird thing to explain, but it's an interview attached to a commercial. Focus right now is on getting that knee 100% healthy for training camp.

Starting point is 00:23:20 So it's feeling good. It's feeling good, but it is an indication that had the Lakers managed to extend that series against Minnesota or even beat Minnesota, LeBron James was not going to be a part of whatever the Lakers were doing for the rest of the playoffs. So we'll maybe look at that towards the end of the week. But back to this question of trades, I think the, you know, the point you were making, like if the Lakers, there's a danger in sort of, of getting obsessed with like, okay, do we put Dalton on the on the block? Do we put AR on the block? Well, this is really their only, you put the number one pick on the block. These are really their only genuinely marketable assets. There might be a team out there that likes Rui Hachamura.

Starting point is 00:24:05 There might be a team out there that would want Gabe Vincent's expiring contract. Like, there are things that you could be that aren't necessarily bad. But in terms of somebody saying, I want those things. It would be that first round pick, perhaps Dalton Connect, and perhaps Austin Reeves. It is a trap to just say that you have to get a center back if you're going to trade one of those three things or two of them or all three of them. Well, it's especially a trap because I'm not sure if you really break down the possibilities of what's out there. that we're talking about Austin, but like a straight up deal with Austin,

Starting point is 00:24:49 that you're going to decide it's actually worth it. Like I really started looking and thinking about the centers around the league. And, you know, there are the Wembees, the Yokiches, that like this is not going to happen. This is a stupid discussion. Then you think about the, could you possibly think about one of these guys leaving their teams,

Starting point is 00:25:06 but like a sign and trade for Miles Turner strikes me is incredibly unlikely. Even if the clippers decided they needed to pivot, I don't picture them trading Zubots for all. Austin Reeves. I don't see the point of Miami trading Bam at a bio for Austin and teaming him up with Tyler Hero. If you think there could be defensive concerns with Luca and Austin, way do you see Luca and Tyler Hero? Like we've talked before, the reason that Clint Capella could maybe be a possibility for the Lakers with that taxpayer mid-level exception is because they love in Yakon Kongwu. So that's not going to be a possibility. Then you start thinking about

Starting point is 00:25:45 you know, a sign and trade for Nas Reid? Like, no, that's a terrible idea for Austin. Nick Claxton, who I'm very big on the idea of trading for him, but straight up for Austin, no, Austin's worth more than that. Same with Daniel Gaffert. Like a sign and trade for Mo Wagner if Orlando decided to move on. No. Goga Batazzi or Wendell Carter Jr. Austin, Orlando. Like, they're not individually worth as much as Austin. And especially after the deal too that Orlando just made. The only reason you would do that is maybe if you can get Jalen Suggs in that deal, like part of a larger thing, but that's not going to happen because, again,

Starting point is 00:26:24 what Orlando just did. Nick Vucevich for Austin Reese? Hell no. The only Rudy Gobert, like Jared Allen. Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events? Yes. Yeah, Luca and Gober as teammates. Although he would be one hell of a back line for people's concerns.

Starting point is 00:26:45 concerns about Luca defensively, but it's like, Jared Allen's maybe like the only center I can imagine that might be available that you can really start thinking about a deal for Austin. You know, I mean, some people are wondering if Memphis after the, the Bain deal, you know, are they looking to tear everything down? You know, could- They're saying no, but you would also assume that they would say no, because if the answer is yes, you don't want to tell everyone.

Starting point is 00:27:12 Like, would, would you try? trade Austin in a sign and trade for a very expensive Jaron Jackson Jr. I mean, reportedly he's looking for a contract extension around like 200 million. Yeah. I mean, I don't I don't know if I don't to be honest think Memphis would do it. I don't think Memphis would you ask me. But like would you do would you do that if jaren Jackson Jr. who's not he's a very good center but he's not the prototype center that people talk about for Luca, would you make that deal? Like basically, I would.

Starting point is 00:27:47 I would. I think the thing about this, too, and I should have mentioned more at the beginning. I know you artfully mentioned during the break, but I, you know, just to mention one more time that today's episodes brought to you by Game Time, download the GameTime app, create account use code, lock down and VA for $20 off your first purchase. the alternative is to not try to trade him for players and try to trade him. If you feel like this is the avenue you need to go down, try to trade him for stuff and then trade the stuff for the players. Because if you don't, you know, the problem with trying to trade Austin specifically for anything is you are sort of limiting your market to teams that want Austin Reeves.

Starting point is 00:28:35 If there are, if you feel as Rob Polinka that there are more teams out there that want good draft picks, and this is all based on the assumption that that Reeves would get a Bain-like return, which I don't think is a safe assumption, but well, for the sake of argument. You know, the challenge with that is it requires you to then make more trades. Do you trust Rob Polinka to execute a trade that sort of definitionally requires him to then turn around and make more trades to use the assets that you just got? I don't know. That's what some people think Memphis is ultimately going to try to do rather than completely rebuild. They're going to use that draft capital that they just got for Desmond Bain, turn around and flip it, attach it to whoever trying to get a best.

Starting point is 00:29:33 better piece to pair alongside Jaron Jackson Jr., presumably extended, and John Moran. So, I mean, yeah. So it's just like, do you trust Rob to do that? That is a royal you, a hypothetical? Like I would be squeamish. I mean, I'm not going to lie. This gets back to, by the way, Brian, like a couple weeks ago when I came up with that, you know, emphasis, fake trade.

Starting point is 00:30:00 This is a three-team deal that I came up. with on my own, just my imagination, trying to come up with the, basically the idea of trying to rebalance the roster, you know, give it more of a two-way presence, less redundancy, particularly among guys who could play the four, try to make, I think, a more potent starting five. And it was also like the idea of how radically could they do this? And the trade that I came up with was the Lakers sending Austin Reeves, Dalton, Connect, Gabe Vincent, Jake Milton, and the 2031 first to Houston. Brooklyn would get Rui Hachamora, Maxi Kleba, the Lakers second round pick, Cam Whitmore from Houston,

Starting point is 00:30:45 and a couple swaps, maybe they get a little bit more draft capital from Houston. The Lakers quite literally don't have any more to offer. And the Lakers would get Nick Claxton, Dylan Brooks, Jabari Smith, Jr. and whether Brooklyn or Houston would do this deal that I proposed, I can't say, but I don't think it's a ridiculous trade for either one of them. Like I don't think what they are giving up compared to what they're giving, getting back is ridiculous. But if nothing else, this speaks to the idea of if you're looking for Austin, if you're looking

Starting point is 00:31:19 to use Austin in a trade that would involve a center, but you're going to make it worth your while to give up Austin in the first place. likely have to expand this thing. Like it likely has to. No question. It likely has to turn into a pretty large trade because there's no question. I don't think you're going to be able to find a center in a one-for-one deal for Austin realistically that the Lakers would want to do, much less the other team would want

Starting point is 00:31:44 to do. The bottom line here is that the Lakers are just going to need to be creative this offseason. Something we can talk about more throughout the rest of the week. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can go hang out with over 35,000 subscribers. A lot of subscribers to the channel. We will see everyone tomorrow.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Can the Lakers Trade for a High Quality Center Without Including Austin Reaves?

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