Reporter: There was a fierce debate among the Lakers on how to deal with Reeves and Hachimura

May 29th News Today, the NBA gathered Anthony Irvin to report on the Lakers' trading trends.

First of all, Doncic will not leave the team in the short term, that's for sure. LeBron James has a player option next season, he will likely choose to execute, and he has a trade veto, so his name can also be sure to appear on the team roster. However, from here on, things get very complicated. According to league and team sources, there was a fierce debate inside about how to deal with Austin Reeves and Hachimura Shiraki.

It should be clear that both players are very popular in the team. No Lakers decision-maker wants to get rid of these two role players who have performed well in recent years. However, this lineup is in desperate need of a major blood change, and the Lakers have only one first-round draft pick and several expiring mid-term contracts to operate. Therefore, it is generally believed that in order to achieve the progress the Lakers expect, they must give up some actual contributors and also use the limited draft capital in their hands.

According to league sources, the Lakers are not seriously considering any Reeves trade proposal that does not involve a long-term All-Star player. These players aren't really on the market at this time and are usually paid more than Reeves, meaning that not only will the team bear the extra salary burden this season, but they must also be willing to risk losing a player they might like, and Reeves may also be a free agent after the end of next season.

Although the Lakers are more open than Reeves when it comes to trading Hachimura, there are still many important voices that want to keep him for a variety of reasons. From a basketball perspective, he was one of the few players in that bad series that lost to the Timberwolves to perform close to expectations, and he did that while dealing with a persistent knee injury. He is also one of the most athletic players on his contract next season. Another factor that the Lakers are weighing internally is that after James finally leaves, it may completely empty the team in a strong position at the moment.

Ideally, it makes sense to keep the offensive creator who earns nearly $14 million a year. Again, ideally, the Lakers should try to retain the big wingers who shot 41% from three-pointers last season. The problem, however, is that Robert Pelinka has long relied too much on these isolated decisions, resulting in an imbalance in the team's roster.

Reeves has performed well in the regular season, both before and after getting Doncic, and he is improving every year. However, he often seems powerless when facing the Timberwolves' height and athleticism, and will never be the kind of extremely destructive defender Doncic needs. Regardless of when Reeves signs the next contract, his and Doncic's salary combined may exceed half of the salary cap. Under this punitive salary cap system, such combinations must be seamlessly connected, and there are indeed some reasonable concerns here.

No matter how Hachimura attracts the camera with his smile and Los Angeles gestures, he cannot avoid the problem that he, Dorian Finney Smith, Doncic and James are all defending the same position. If trading Hachimura Shirato can bring a starter in a much-needed position to the Lakers, they should definitely do that.

The Lakers must not risk Reeves, their most valuable trading assets, to leave after next year, and thus lose him in vain, considering what they can trade him now. The same situation applies to Hachimura, whose contract will expire. If for some reason the Lakers decide to keep this "core" unchanged, but lose any one, or even two, in the free market, the impact of this series of decisions will bother them for a long time. Many inside the

team understand this and push for an early improvement of the roster, even if it could mean the sacrifice of one or two popular players. Others hope to observe the team's performance after the training camp ends. Some league sources even doubt whether the Lakers will wait until James is no longer on their books so that there is enough money to bring in Doncic's future partner.

No matter which path the Lakers choose, this summer’s decision will have a profound impact on their future. If the Lakers want to reverse the recent playoffs, they must consider more seriously some difficult decisions that have been avoiding before.