Reject 89 million, goodbye to the Lakers! The transaction is destined to decline in your value, and it is time for the Purple and Gold Army to give up on you

Should the Lakers keep Austin Reeves? After being eliminated in the first round of 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers' defeat at the Staples Center (now called Crypto.com Arena) was a complete loss of the team's inside empty and defensive loopholes, and the fans were almost infuriated. As the young core of the Purple and Gold Army, Reeves recently refused to renew his contract for four years, $89 million, and the news of a possible deal was also heard, which became the cusp of public opinion. What do I think about this? The Lakers are in a dilemma now. Reeves has potential, but the team urgently needs to strengthen. He has to think about whether to replace it or not. Let's not take the team first. Let's talk about the story behind this and see how the Lakers make this move.

Speaking of the chaos in the Lakers, the heavy-handed deal from the Mavericks to Doncic in the offseason in 2023 is definitely a big turning point. The Lakers sent Russell away and several first-round picks, just to give Doncic a place in Los Angeles. The offensive firepower did increase, but the inside and chemical reactions collapsed directly. You taste it, you taste it carefully, remember that in the 2023-24 season, Doncic scored 40 points by himself, but he failed to block the opponent from the inside, and the Lakers lost so miserably. The impact of this deal on Reeves was even more fatal. Doncic directly robbed most of the ball. He changed from a main control to a fixed-point pitcher on the offensive end, and had to bite the bullet and hit the opponent's outside core on the defensive end, all the problems were exposed. In the past, there was a thick eyebrows in the inside line, but what about now? Reeves' talent is there, no matter how hard he tries, he can't fill the hole.

Let's talk about Reeves' own choice. This guy has really dared to play with him recently. The Lakers offered him a four-year, early contract renewal of 89 million yuan, with an average annual salary of less than 25 million yuan. In today's era of soaring salary, it's not a loss, right? But they didn't sign and planned to test the free market in the offseason in 2026. This matter is said to be finalized at an internal meeting of the Lakers Training Hall. We don’t know the specific details, but this attitude is clear: I have to see how much I am worth! I admire Reeves' courage. After all, he climbed up step by step from the undraft. In the 2022-23 playoffs against the Grizzlies, he scored 23 points in a single game, and helped the Lakers advance. Who would have seen that fighting spirit and said nothing good? But now, he refuses to renew his contract. At first glance, he looks like he is a big bet. The fans are mixed with feelings. They hope he stays, but they are also afraid that he will really leave. The Lakers will lose a lot.

Speaking of this, it is quite controversial whether Reeves is worth trading. Lakers management Pelinka obviously wants to use him as a bargaining chip to exchange for combat power. After all, after Doncic and Davis traded, Reeves' position in the team plummeted, and he could not play his advantages and could not hide his disadvantages. I remember that there was a game between the Lakers and the Clippers. Reeves was directly named by the opponent's defender on the defensive end. It was so relaxed to lose points. Lakers fans were almost cursing on the sidelines. But what about James? At the Los Angeles internal meeting in October 2023, James made it clear that he did not want to trade Reeves, and he felt that this guy still has potential and his fighting spirit at home in the past two years is obvious to all. Tsk tsk, the management and Lao Zhan have a confrontation, this drama is really exciting. I personally think that Reeves does have potential, but the Lakers urgently need to strengthen now. Think about it from another perspective, if he leaves in 2026, will the Lakers lose even more?

The Lakers have already made some progress in strengthening this matter. In the 2023 offseason, they talked to the Indiana Pacers about Miles Turner's deal. This guy averaged 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and was able to protect the frame and shoot three-pointers. It was simply the type that the Lakers dreamed of inside the game. The plan is to trade Reevesgar's draft pick. If the deal is signed in Los Angeles, fans will probably be crazy. Not only this, there is news in November 2023 that the Lakers want to get Alex Caruso back from the Chicago Bulls. This defensive player who won the championship with the Lakers in 2020 averaged 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, and he can help Doncic and Reeves share the pressure on the outside when he comes back. Think about it, if Turnera Caruso really succeeds, wouldn’t the Lakers’ double dilemma of inside and outside be solved? To put it bluntly, if these two people can come, I want to give Pelinka a big thumbs up, but the premise is to let Reeves, Lakers, do you dare to gamble this?

The ultimate choice for the Lakers to stay or let Reeves go. Keep him. If the free market is gone in 2026, the Lakers will be in vain; if he is replaced, he is afraid of missing a potential stock, and James is quite tough. Both paths are here, and the Lakers have to make a decision before the 2024 offseason, and time doesn't wait for anyone. What do you think should the Lakers choose? Will Liu Reeves continue to train, or should he directly replace Turner and Caruso to make a comeback? I personally tend to switch, after all, the Lakers' window period is not long now, and James is here at the age of his life, so he has to hurry up and compete for the championship. But think about Reeves's growth from the slump to his current growth, and his fighting spirit from the trough is unwilling to bear to leave. It's really a lot of trouble.

Looking back at the Lakers' highlights in 2020 to the struggles under the Doncic era, the Purple and Gold Army's road has really been ups and downs. Reeves' fate is like the Lakers' future, full of fog. What do you think the Lakers should do? Should I keep Reeves, or boldly substitute people to win the championship? Come and talk about your thoughts in the comment section!