The Lakers are coping with inner frustration after Wealthy Paul questioned the group’s contender standing and floated an Austin Reaves–for–Jaren Jackson Jr. commerce.
That commentary that didn’t land effectively behind closed doorways, in line with Lakers reporter Jovan Buha.
“I can verify that folks haven’t been glad,” Buha mentioned. “I’m not gonna go extra particular than that, however I might simply say folks haven’t been pleased with that pod and among the feedback… There was the ’they’re not contenders’ and that one factor, and even some folks inside that constructing may imagine that on the core when you gave them reality serum. It’s one factor to assume that privately, one factor to place that out publicly. However then among the stuff that has come out since, most notably I believe not too long ago this complete commerce Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr., who mainly averages the identical quantity of rebounds and that might’ve been an fascinating commerce a yr in the past, however Austin Reaves is only a straight up higher participant than Jaren Jackson Jr. and has extra commerce worth than Jaren Jackson Jr. So if Memphis needs to throw in a number of picks and GG Jackson, then possibly that’s a dialog. However the common framework of JJJ for Austin Reaves straight up doesn’t make any sense, in my view, from the Lakers aspect… Nevertheless it’s been some fascinating feedback popping out of that as a result of that’s unusual, for an agent to commenting on his participant’s group to this diploma and saying mainly I might commerce this man, particularly a man who’s type of in contract competitors for his consumer.”
Paul later addressed the backlash.
“My man Reggie who’s Austin’s agent, we talked,” Paul mentioned. “I would like Austin to know this isn’t about Austin Reaves as a result of I like the participant, love the particular person. I’m not making an attempt to mess up something with AR. This was a hypothetical take. Not one thing that was going to occur.”
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