Bill Simmons believes a trade involving Austin Reaves and Draymond Green will help both the Lakers and the Warriors.
Both the Lakers and the Warriors are in desperate need of a turnaround this season. This season, the Warriors are ranked 11th with a 15-17 record, while the Lakers are ranked 10th with a 17-17 record. Both teams have the potential to make a huge move this season, and Bill Simmons believes they should work together to exchange Draymond Green and Austin Reaves.
“Austin Reaves is my favorite [trade target].” Because in the coming weeks, you may make a Draymond Green for Austin Reaves swap. Let’s pretend the Lakers are around.500. Assume they persuade themselves into it. Does
Golden State have to throw in, maybe [Moses] Moody to make that work? I just like the trade. In theory, I don’t think Golden State needs Draymond. I think they should trade him.”
This is an intriguing concept, but I disagree with it. This would be a lose-lose situation, as the Lakers should not deal Reaves for someone like Green. Similarly, the Warriors will rue the day they traded their primary defensive stopper for a streaky scoring guard who must play behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Is there any way for this transaction to work for both franchises?
Which Team Loses This Trade?
If you followed Simmons’ advice and sent Draymond and Moses Moody to the Lakers in exchange for Austin Reaves, the Warriors would lose the trade.
Draymond has utility in the Golden State system, and moving on from him to add the offensive punch of Reaves seems illogical, especially if Moses Moody is also involved in the deal. When Draymond is on the court, he averages 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.
Even if LeBron James is thrilled to see one of his close pals Draymond join the Lakers, the Lakers would not enjoy this arrangement. They benefit from this deal because they can replace Reaves’ scoring with Moody’s, albeit the lack of consistency would be a concern for the franchise. This season, Moody is averaging 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.
Reaves is averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, but it’s unclear where he fits in the Warriors’ scheme.
The team will not bench Klay Thompson to play Reaves, therefore both Chris Paul and Reaves will be available as backup guards. The loss of Draymond opens up a starting spot for Jonathan Kuminga, but leaves the frontcourt with little depth beyond that.
Most importantly, there is no way to make a deal like this work financially. To make the deal financially viable, the Lakers would almost certainly have to throw in someone like Rui Hachimura, at which point the Lakers would be significantly overpaying for a guy like Green who is past his peak.
This might be a lose-lose situation for both businesses, but the concept is intriguing. The Warriors need to seek scorers in the market, but taking Draymond off the field seems unnecessary. The Lakers need more dependable guards on their roster, so trading a guard for another forward like Green isn’t appealing.
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