Lakers Lounge

As usual, after Anthony write anything, he narrates it for you exclusively in the Lounge RSS feed. This time, he wrote about the how the Lakers view Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura internally and the back-and-forth about trading them taking place as the offseason nears.

Anthony dropped another report last night, this time detailing the internal debate within the Lakers organization on Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. He and Raj discuss Reaves and Hachimura's place in the Lakers core, the return the Lakers should be looking for in any trades for each, the risk with both in free agency and more.

With the OKC Thunder well on their way to a finals series they'll be heavy favorites, the guys give their thoughts on what the finals might look like. Anthony thinks OKC will roll. Raj thinks otherwise. From there, the guys launch into their conversation about Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura as part of the Lakers "core" and whether they should be considered as such.

Raj asks Anthony about honeymoon periods, which leads to a hilarious, ridiculous analogy. The guys talk about the Lakers' decisions impact on Luka Doncic, who will have an extension passed across the table to him this summer that the Lakers desperately need him to sign.

Anthony is joined on this earlier edition of The Lounge by Kirk Henderson (Mavs Moneyball, Pod Maverick) to discuss Luka Doncic's season, both in Dallas and eventually in L.A. The guys talk about the calf strain that never relented its grip on this season, Luka Ball, the need for a center and, eventually, a former teammate of Doncic's who the Lakers have an eye on.

Anthony dropped a report last night on the Lakers' center pursuit. He narrates that piece, plus a couple occasional nuggets here and there.

Anthony comes back from his little break with a bang, as he welcomes Trevor Lane (LakersNation) into The Lounge to talk ... about most of the same stuff we've been talking about. Centers stuff, the need for athleticism, Austin Reaves' trade market and whatever else comes up.

Anthony and Trevor kick off their conversation with some bbq talk, then dive into the playoffs that continue to roll on without the Lakers. These games demand the question: Are the Lakers close? If they are, then how can that gap be bridged? If not, then is it smarter to keep their powder dry for when they can more sustainably compete?

Anthony did a little digging and one thing resonates far above everything else as it pertain to noise surrounding the Lakers' offseason: They know they need at least one center and are in the market for a couple. He discusses how that pursuit is going so far, the speed bumps they've already hit and how a chaotic summer might really help them. He also explains why it seems unlikely Jaxson Hayes will be back next year -- and why he hopes he isn't.

In that 2019-20 season, the Lakers brought back Dwight Howard and had a very honest conversation with him about his career at that point. Anthony makes the case that a similar conversation could help a very talented center turn things around in L.A. Trevor is a little less sold.