Austin Reaves is a fun player for the Lakers, but if they want the best fit for their lineup, an upgrade to Buddy Hield at the SG position would make a big difference.

The best lineup the Lakers could put together would be AD, Christian Wood, LeBron, Hield, and D’Angelo Russell. Exactly the role guys LeBron needs around him with Buddy’s 40% shot from 3. The price may be more than Lakers fans want to see them pay, but it could be a tipping point factor to make their team a better contender. Reaves and a 1st, plus a rookie who’s been injured and hasn’t seen the floor yet to make salaries work.

The Pacers have no desire for Reaves, they already have too many guards on the roster. They will however make a trade work if it means getting a 1st round pick, so a third team is needed. They’ll let Harris ride the bench for half a season to gain that ‘29 1st.

Detroit sees an opportunity to gain Reaves on a long term contract at a decent price in exchange for a player with a similar role, and they likely don’t plan to re-sign anyways. That, and gaining JHS as a young wing to roll the dice on, this is a no-brainer for Detroit to pull the trigger on. Everything to gain, virtually nothing to lose.

Trade can’t be completed until Jan. 15th