The Los Angeles Lakers’ most recent 111-108 defeat at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night marked the group’s second consecutive loss, dropping their record to 40-23, good for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
In the immediate aftermath of four-time NBA champion LeBron James suffering a groin injury against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, their 26-year-old generational talent Luka Dončić has done all he could to carry the group’s offensive load, averaging 28.0 points and 7.5 assists over his last two contests.
The Lakers’ scarcity of scoring production outside of Dončić has been evident since James was sidelined. Specifically, Austin Reaves has contributed just 16.5 points while shooting a horrid 30.8% from the field in his latest pair of appearances.
Though he’s enjoyed a break-out season in 2024-25, it may not be out of the realm of possibility that the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka viewed Reaves’ latest stretch as extremely discouraging. In fact, it could prompt Pelinka to approach the front office of the Memphis Grizzlies with the idea of shipping the slithery scoring guard out in exchange for Memphis’ established two-way star Desmond Bane.
In a hypothetical timeline where Pelinka wishes to explore Reaves’ trade value this summer, he could plausibly offer a deal to the Grizzlies consisting of Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and first-round draft capital for Bane. The Grizzlies are currently situated as the No. 4 seed in the West, but the organization could figure that a personnel shake-up is due if they suffer yet another disappointing postseason defeat.
At 26 years old, Bane has already displayed his immense talent on both ends of the floor as a flame-thrower from the three-point line and strong perimeter defender. In 53 outings with the Grizzlies this season, the strong 6-foot-5 shooting guard has compiled box score figures of 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on a solid 56.2% effective field goal percentage.
Giving up a homegrown talent like Reaves could be a tough pill for the Lakers’ organization to swallow, but potentially pairing Bane in the same backcourt as Dončić could prove to be a fantastic decision for the 2025-26 season and beyond, as he’s locked into a five-year, $197 million contract that will make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2029.
As a career 40.8% distance shooter, Bane could be a perfect match for both the ex-Dallas Mavericks superstar and James as a terrific catch-and-shoot option that can also be relied upon to create his own offense.
He’s also shown a clear ability to get down in his stance and take on difficult matchups at the defensive end, as evidenced by his stellar 112 defensive rating per 100 possessions and 0.8 defensive box plus-minus this season.
The Lakers could be labeled favorites to come out of the West in 2025-26 with the prospective addition of the fringe All-Star guard, who could slot into a ball-dominant role if one of team’s two future Hall of Fame inductees happened to miss an extended period of time.
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