The Los Angeles Lakers have various needs entering the offseason.
Although the franchise’s No. 1 priority is landing a big man, Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk believes a blockbuster trade involving their starting shooting guard and a two-time NBA champion backcourt asset could materialize this summer.
“The Orlando Magic are a perfect team for Reaves,” Rovenchuk wrote Wednesday. They were one of the worst offenses in the league during the 2024-25 regular season, ranking 27th in offensive rating (108.9).”
“The Lakers talented offensive guard could boost that while being protected by an elite defensive unit on the other end.”
“A backcourt pairing of Reaves and Jalen Suggs should offer plenty of intrigue with how well the two complement each other. The Lakers guard may not be an elite playmaker by any means, but he can certainly initiate a lot of offense both for himself and others.”
“The Lakers’ reward for bolstering the Magic starts with a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reunion. Some may be worried about the drop-off in production this season from the two-way wing. However, that is more likely an issue of fit than anything else.”
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In Rovenchuk’s trade proposal, the Lakers would receive Caldwell-Pope, Goga Bitadze, Anthony Black, and the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (via Denver Nuggets), and the Magic would receive Reaves, Gabe Vincent, and Maxi Kleber.
During the 2019-20 NBA season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 9.3 points on 46.7% shooting from the field and 38.5% from three on a Lakers squad that captured a bubble championship.
Caldwell-Pope also hunkered down defensively, making opponents exert maximum effort nightly.
Three campaigns later, the Georgia product won a title with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, showcasing his championship-winning qualities on a different NBA team.
Although Caldwell-Pope’s on-ball defense was stable again this year, his long-range shooting was subpar by his standards.
The 32-year-old poured in 8.7 points per game on 43.9% field goal shooting and 34.2% long-range shooting.
Still, with Reaves struggling on the defensive end and letting the Lakers down in the postseason, reuniting with Caldwell-Pope could be on the franchise’s mind in free agency.
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