The Lakers were supposed to make some trades in the middle of the season. Recently, Russell and Reaves have been plagued by trade rumors, especially Russell has become the number one bargaining chip for the Lakers to trade. It is reported that the Lakers are interested in Murray of the Hawks and may seek a trade in the middle of the season.
However, Russell has been in excellent form in recent times, averaging 27 per game in his last eight games5 points and 6He had 4 assists and shot 54% from three-point range. This has led to the Lakers management now starting to hesitate, and they don't seem willing to trade Russell out. According to people familiar with the matter ahead, the Lakers and Hawks management have dropped contact in recent times.
Many fans admit that Murray is not necessarily better than Russell, who has proven himself to be a great offensive player over the years in the league. Although the defensive ability is not strong, Russell's offensive talent is obvious to all. In particular, his projection ability is something that the Lakers are sorely lacking these days. Murray isn't a three-point player, and he's not a three-point player. Russell's three-point ability is more than twice as strong as Murray's. Murray's arrival with the Lakers may bring down the Lakers' space.
Recently, we can also see James's encouragement and appreciation for Russell on the sidelines, and James also greeted Russell as soon as he left the court. It seems that James is also very fond of Russell. So there's no need for management to trade Russell. Russell can completely liberate James's ball-holding pressure on the team, because it is unrealistic to rely on Reaves to hold the ball in the Lakers lineup, the team's offensive rhythm is very slow when Reaves holds the ball, and Reaves' efficiency with the ball is not high, and 24 seconds may be consumed by Reaves for more than ten seconds to attack or pass the ball when attacking in the half, which is not good for the Lakers' overall offense.
As it stands, if the Lakers seek a trade in the middle of the season, even Reaves is the player who should be traded. Because Reaves has some trade value right now, he could play a more important role on other teams. And the Lakers might as well trade Reaves for a 3-D player or a famous pitcher. Reaves is significantly inferior to Russell's projection ability. In the Lakers' roster, Reaves is indeed the player who is easily overrated. I wonder what the fans think?