The Lakers want to exchange Reeves for "Big Joe"? Is it worth it?

In the coming summer, Reeves will likely choose to abandon his contract worth 14 million to seek a generous new contract with an annual salary of up to 30 million. Judging from his performance last season, his offensive efficiency is the best in the league. There is no doubt that he has the capital to pursue a richer salary. Faced with such a situation, the Lakers management realized that they might not be able to retain this talent, so they heard that they were preparing to package Reeves and Claybel in exchange for Nets star player Mikal Bridges.

Speaking of Bridges' strengths, many people regard it as a "upgraded version" of Reeves. First of all, both have quite comprehensive abilities on the offensive end, and can break through the inside and shoot from the outside, with satisfactory overall efficiency. However, the more critical difference is their defensive ability. Bridges is known as the top defender and has been selected for the best defensive team. In his career, his defensive influence is far higher than Reeves, who is known for his shortcomings in defensive strength. It can be said that Bridges's contribution on the defensive end makes his role on the court more important.

In addition, Bridges can effectively deal with players from multiple different positions when defending, especially between the second and third positions, and his flexibility is significantly higher than Reeves who mainly plays in the second position. For the Lakers, there are superstars like Doncic in the team, and their offensive firepower is already quite strong. Since the All-Star Game, the team's offensive efficiency ranks sixth in the league. Reeves' role on the offensive end is more icing on the cake. Although he can provide the team with some timely scoring, in contrast, Bridges' strong defense is a "timely help" that the Lakers urgently need, which is extremely important to alleviate Doncic's pressure.

Therefore, if Reeves, who seems unlikely to be retained, can exchange Bridges in the form of a trade, it will undoubtedly provide great help to the Lakers' offense and defensive balance. Such a deal is definitely worthy of support and pursuit, because Bridges' stable performance on both offense and defense can help the Lakers improve their overall strength and make them more competitive in the following season. Not only can it improve the team's defensive strength and make the opponent's offense difficult to carry out, his flexibility and scoring ability on the offensive end are also assets that cannot be ignored.

Faced with the upcoming transfer market, the Lakers' management needs to carefully consider the potential benefits of the deal. Although letting Reeves out may bring some imbalances in the short term, if players of Bridges can be introduced, the long-term future benefits will definitely make up for the immediate losses. Judging from the team's current configuration, if such an all-round player who can both attack and defend can be added, it will undoubtedly add more possibilities to their championship battle.

To sum up, trading Reeves in exchange for Bridges's idea not only meets the actual needs of the Lakers, but also is an indispensable step for them in the process of striving for the championship. I hope the Lakers can calmly evaluate this deal and make the team's competitiveness a step further in the new season. Through such effective operation, the Lakers stood at a new height and became a powerful opponent on the road to winning the championship.