One of the biggest stories involving the Los Angeles Lakers in recent days was the suggestion Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, made on his “Game Over” podcast that they should trade Austin Reaves for Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr.
That suggestion led to people around the league criticizing Paul and perhaps even wondering if that suggestion came from James, or if the Lakers’ chemistry could suffer as a result.
Advertisement
One of Reaves’ agents reportedly chatted with Paul during Tuesday’s game between the Lakers and Hawks. On the other side, Jackson seemed more amused than concerned or bothered by the trade suggestion, and he said he didn’t even think it was real at first.
Via The Athletic:
“There’s just a lot of podcasts,” Jackson said. “At first, I didn’t think it was real. You have to figure out if it’s real, usually now, and I’m not as versed technology-wise as these people younger than me. I was figuring out if it’s AI, deepfake, all that stuff. That’s all I had, I didn’t really have much of a reaction.”
Jackson, who is 6-foot-10 and 242 pounds, can play both power forward and center and won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award three seasons ago. So far this season, he’s averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range.
The Grizzlies are reportedly open to trading guard Ja Morant, their best player, which may make one feel they could be open to also trading Jackson, since Morant’s exit would likely trigger a rebuilding process. However, Los Angeles has steadfastly refused to include Reaves in any trade talks over the last couple of years.
Advertisement
Reaves, who is currently sidelined due to a gastrocnemius strain, is averaging 26.6 points and 6.3 rebounds a game while shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range so far this season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Jaren Jackson Jr. had amusing reaction to Rich Paul’s trade suggestion