Lakers:
Thoughts on trade:
Personally, I don’t really agree with the Lakers entire basketball philosophy of a “Big 3.” I think Lebron and AD function much better around good role players who can space the floor and defend multiple positions. But it’s clear that the Lakers are interested in Kyrie, and this is the most probable way of that happening unless I am severely Undervaluing Autin Reaves in this trade.
Kyrie Opinion:
I don’t like Kyrie. Plain and simple. He’s obviously not a great guy, and the stuff he has said on social media about different faiths and cultures is not ok. But the truth is that he is still an absolute baller. All star last year. 27PPG 4 rebounds 5 assists on decent efficiency proves he is still of value to a team like the Lakers trying to push for a title.
Kyrie fit:
Obviously, aside from the poor locker room and reliability of Kyrie, he is still likely to be a valuable asset to this Lakers team as a Primary ball handler when LeBron is out and A secondary Ball handler with LeBron giving the Laker’s a great outlet for when the LeBron is injured, tired or otherwise unable to play which is bound to happen seeing as he is nearly 40. Kyrie fits very well with Gabe Vincent in the back court as Vincenct picks up the slack on defense and spaces the floor well enough without needing the ball to be effective which has been the type of player Kyrie often works well with.
Laker’s assets lost:
Now, I know that every Laker’s fan loves Austin Reaves like a son and worship him like a God. But, the fact is that he’s simply not an All-Star caliber player currently and there is no way to be certain that he will reach the standards Kyrie is playing at now. Actually I am certain he won’t play at Kyrie’s current level in his career. So seeing as LeBron is not getting younger and whilst you still have this “contending” team why not go all in? The loss of Vando and D’lo are also a shame (not so much fro D’lo, he is literally a 6th man for the Mavs team, no more) as Vando provides useful skilled on the defensive end at the PF/SF spot that helped them in the playoffs but this opens up the minutes for Rui Hachimoura and Taurean Prince. The first and swap they gave up is the main asset in my eyes. I truly believe this Laker’s franchise at its current state will not be good in 2029 and I actually think they could be a bottom 5 team and this pick won’t convey and if that happens then you’ve given up a swap in 2025 and that is all in terms of draft capital.
Mavericks:
Thoughts on trade:
FINALLY GOTTEN RID OF KYRIE AND FOUND SOME VALUE. Lakers picks have a high upside and it’s worth the risk and they get some players more fitted to Luka’s timeline like Reaves, Maxwell Lewis
Fit of Reaves, Vando:
Reaves will be a similar player that Jalen Brunson was to the Mavericks team back in their playoff run in 2021-22. The Mavs run better when they have that secondary ball handler when Luka is off, and with the help of Vando, they will be able to meet some of the defensive needs they have been lacking in the regular seasons and scrape a few more of those wins to get them across the line to the play-offs/play-in. They now no longer need to fuck around with that Christian Wood bloke who the Lakers picked up, so they can finally defend anybody who is semi-competent in the forward-big positions because of Grant Williams and Vandos defensive versatility and strength
DEPTH CHART FOR BOTH TEAMS AFTER THE TRADE WILL BE ON MY PAIGE