He’s been on rosters that had Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, followed by Shaq & Kobe, and later Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker. So maybe Robert Horry is on to something. Or contradicting his history. The Lakers legend’s best clutch moments came during his time in Purple & Gold, a franchise known for its duos. Currently, with the Lakers acquiring Luka Doncic in a mind-blowing trade, a debate has emerged on how the team can optimize its roster around its new star.
A fan asked Big Shot Bob this week what the Lakers need to do about Austin Reaves. The seven-time NBA champion’s response was direct: there’s no long-term future for Reaves in Los Angeles, and the team should “cut their losses.”
“If the Lakers were smart, they would do a sign-and-trade,” Horry advised. “And the reason I say that is because when you have a team with two players who are pretty much the same, meaning Luka [Doncic] and AR, and I’m not saying they have the same skill set. They play the same position; they pretty much do the same thing.”
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According to Horry, it’s a simple matter of team fit. “You don’t need two of the same players. The NBA is all about a fit. You look at all the great teams, they all have something different. There’s no two Jokers. There’s no two Giannises, no two Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders.” Well, Horry might be the authority on that.
The history of recent “Big 3” teams backs up this concept. The Miami Heat’s legendary trio of LeBron James (forward), Dwyane Wade (guard), and Chris Bosh (power forward/center) worked precisely because their positions and skill sets complemented each other.
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Conversely, the recent Phoenix Suns’ arrangement with one forward (Kevin Durant) and two shooting guards (Devin Booker and Bradley Beal) was a flawed experiment that lacked balance, a crucial lesson about positional redundancy.
The debate over Austin Reaves’ role
While Horry’s argument makes strategic sense, the reality is more complex. The Lakers have a history of playing multiple players at the same position, and Austin Reaves’s contribution is hard to ignore. His role has been minimized since the Doncic trade, a situation some have called “Kuminga syndrome,” but he remains a highly valuable asset.
Beyond the positional overlap, both Doncic and Reaves are known to share a similar weakness: their defense. While Doncic has shown improvement in this area, neither is considered an elite perimeter defender, which creates a potential vulnerability that the Lakers will need to address. On paper, it might not matter which one is on the backcourt, but from a strategic standpoint, a team would ideally have a mix of defensive specialists and offensive creators.
The financial side of the decision is also a factor. Doncic is locked into a massive new three-year, $165 million extension. Austin Reaves, meanwhile, is on a much more manageable contract, but he is the only player on the roster with significant trade value. From a purely business perspective, as Horry points out, trading Reaves for a defensive-minded player could be the only solution to fill a clear roster need. “You get rid of him. You love him, but from a business standpoint and from a winning standpoint, and if you can get something great for him, you deal it.”
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That being said, there is almost no indication that the Lakers are actively looking to give up Austin Reaves. They rarely leave their star players without a solid backup, and Reaves’s skills still offer a valuable presence on the team. The ultimate decision will be a tough one, forcing the Lakers to weigh the benefits of Horry’s “fit” philosophy against the security of keeping a proven, fan-favorite player.