As the Lakers’ defense leaks points in a brutal mid-season skid, one analyst’s hot take is forcing a franchise gut check, questioning if their star import can anchor a title run.

That’s where Max Kellerman urges a Luka Doncic trade decision. On January 12, 2026, an episode of the Game Over podcast with Rich Paul, Kellerman floated flipping the Slovenian guard to invest in $53 million star Austin Reaves, citing roster redundancy and defensive lapses as the tipping point.

This bold call doesn’t just spotlight overlap between two ball-dominant guards; it amplifies the Lakers’ urgency to balance offense with championship-caliber D, especially as the February 5 trade deadline looms and their Western Conference standing slips to eighth.

The Lakers started hot at 18-6, eyeing a deep playoff push. But a 4-13 slide since December 2025, fueled by injuries to Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt, has exposed a leaky defense ranking 24th league-wide with a 117.8 rating. Analysts like Kellerman see this as the moment to rethink the roster built around Doncic, acquired from the Mavericks in Feb 2025 amid Dallas’ own defensive concerns.

Kellerman points to Doncic’s elite offense clashing with Reaves’ similar style. Both demand the rock, creating inefficiency.

“If you believe there’s a redundancy between Austin and Luka. Luka is a better player than Austin Reaves, I understand that. Luka’s a fantastic player offensively. But if you want to win a championship, I believe that your best player needs to be someone who is willing to at least play team defense, like Steph Curry. Steph’s a bad defender, but he is a willing defender. If your best player isn’t that, very hard to win a championship,” Kellerman said.

This matters now because the Lakers’ 22-19 record screams for fixes. Moving Doncic could fetch three times the haul of a Reaves deal, per Kellerman, enough to land defensive anchors like Jaren Jackson Jr., whom Paul suggested targeting via Reaves.

“I think it’s a problem if all of your resources are funneled to those two places. I’m not convinced that you need to get rid of Austin Reaves. I think there’s a world – It will never happen – where you could get to deal Luka because you get more for him than Reaves, then build around him. It’s not about dissing Reaves,” Kellerman reiterated on the January 14 episode of The Mason and Ireland Show.

This echoes the 2019 Pelicans’ decision to trade Anthony Davis, an offense-heavy star with defensive gaps, for a massive asset package, jumpstarting a rebuild into contenders. Contrast that with the 2023 Mavericks, who doubled down on Doncic despite D critiques, only to miss the playoffs and later ship him.

Doncic’s Elite Offense Masks Defensive Gaps

Doncic has been a scoring machine in purple and gold. Through 41 games, he leads the league at 33.4 points per contest, adding 7.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists on 46.4% shooting. His 36.2 minutes per game fuel the Lakers’ top-10 offense.

Defensively, he’s stepped up with a career-best 110.5 rating and 1.6 steals per game, tied for eighth league-wide. Scouts note his hustle in cutting lanes.

Yet Kellerman argues it’s not enough for titles. Doncic’s willingness falls short of Curry’s team defense, which powered Golden State’s rings despite individual limits.

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This scrutiny hits as the Lakers chase balance. Doncic’s $43 million salary this year contrasts with Reaves’ $53 million four-year deal, but Kellerman sees investing in the latter plus assets from a Doncic flip as the path to sustainable contention.

“Luka is our anchor—defense improving daily,” Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said in a January 2026 presser, dismissing trade talk.

Look at Curry’s Warriors: They built around a willing defender, adding pieces like Draymond Green to mask gaps, winning chips. For the Lakers, ignoring this could repeat the Mavericks’ 2023 flameout, where Doncic’s offense couldn’t overcome team-wide D woes.

Kellerman’s urge exposes the Lakers’ offense-defense imbalance in a loaded West. What’s next: With the February 5 deadline approaching, expect bids for Jackson Jr. or Myles Turner, or Doncic stays, pushing internal tweaks like Vanderbilt’s return to spark a playoff surge.