Rich Paul proposes Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr trade for Lakers

Rich Paul, agent of LeBron James, made waves by publicly proposing a trade that would shake up the Lakers roster. On the « Game Over » podcast with Max Kellerman, he suggested sending Austin Reaves to Memphis in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr, a statement that caused ripples within the California organization.

« If I were the Lakers, I would target the Grizzlies as a trade partner to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr, » Paul stated. « If you’re building around Luka Doncic, you need that anchor point. Jaren doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding project. »

A divisive and controversial proposal

LeBron’s agent believes this trade would benefit all parties. « You can trade expiring contracts and the last first-round pick you have left, or you can give up less, but that would require emotional detachment because Austin Reaves is beloved here, » he explained. « There’s a world where you can do what’s best for the team and at the same time what’s best for Austin. He deserves to get paid and Memphis would certainly give him that. He would be their leader and point guard. »

Rich Paul says if he ran the Lakers, he would call Memphis Grizzlies to trade for Jaren Jackson Jr for a package with Austin Reaves 🤯

« If I was the Lakers I would be targeting the Memphis Grizzlies as a trade partner for Jaren Jackson… If you’re building around Luka you need… pic.twitter.com/vEj647cWfT

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) January 12, 2026

However, these comments were not well received internally. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, « people were not happy about that podcast and some of the comments. » The journalist noted this situation was unusual: « It’s rare for an agent to comment on his player’s team to this extent and essentially say ‘I would trade this guy.' »

The Lakers are currently going through a difficult period with three consecutive losses. While the team holds a record of 23 wins and 14 losses, defensive problems persist and tensions seem to be mounting. Rich Paul’s public intervention adds another dimension to the challenges facing Rob Pelinka, the actual General Manager of the Lakers, who may not appreciate these external suggestions as the trade deadline approaches.

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