2 players Lakers must trade after Thunder sweep to help Luka Doncic take next step

For the Los Angeles Lakers, getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder was not merely about injuries or unfortunate timing. It was a brutal exposure of organizational complacency. Most importantly, it clarified that if they truly want to maximize Luka Doncic moving forward, difficult sacrifices must happen immediately. Oklahoma City demonstrated exactly what a modern contender looks like. Meanwhile, the Lakers often resembled a team desperately clinging to outdated formulas. Luka remains one of the league’s premier offensive engines, but even superstars require the correct ecosystem around them to thrive. Right now, the Lakers simply do not have that ecosystem. If Rob Pelinka wants this franchise to return to legitimate championship contention, two major roster changes feel unavoidable.

Collapsing under the weight of its own flaws

The 2025-26 season constantly teased the possibility of something greater before unraveling at the worst possible moment. For stretches of the regular season, the Lakers genuinely looked dangerous. There were moments when the chemistry between Luka, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves hinted at championship-level upside.

Then injuries disrupted everything. Doncic’s extended absence completely destabilized the offense. Without the league’s leading scorer orchestrating the floor, the Lakers leaned far too heavily on aging stars and inconsistent role players. The result, therefore, was predictable.

Los Angeles lost six of its final seven playoff games and looked increasingly overwhelmed by Oklahoma City’s pace, spacing, and defensive aggression. The Thunder dominated transition opportunities and easily exposed the Lakers’ inability to consistently defend dynamic perimeter attacks.

The sweep pretty much revealed which players no longer fit the future.

Trading Deandre Ayton

The Lakers acquired Deandre Ayton hoping he would become the physical anchor this roster desperately needed. Instead, he became one of the biggest disappointments of the postseason.

Against Oklahoma City, Ayton looked disconnected. While the Thunder attacked the paint relentlessly, Ayton too often floated through possessions without imposing any consistent physical presence.

Game 3 perfectly summarized the problem. Ayton finished with only 10 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes while the Thunder frontcourt dictated the entire interior battle. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein consistently outworked him for loose balls, second-chance opportunities, and everything in-between.

Even worse, Ayton’s offensive tendencies clash awkwardly with Luka’s strengths. Doncic thrives when paired with rim-running, screen-setting big men who create vertical pressure and punish defenses inside. For some reason, Ayton too often drifted toward mid-range looks instead of embracing the dirty work necessary to maximize a superstar playmaker.

Looking ahead, the Lakers do not need a finesse center. They need unstoppable force. Moving Ayton would allow Los Angeles to pursue a more mobile, defensively committed frontcourt partner. They can acquire someone capable of protecting the rim, rebounding consistently, and embracing physical playoff basketball.

Trading Austin Reaves

This next conversation will be painful for Lakers fans because Reaves remains one of the franchise’s most beloved players. Too bad emotional attachment cannot outweigh basketball reality.

The Thunder series exposed Reaves in devastating fashion. Offensively, he still delivered flashes of scoring punch. His 27-point performance in Game 4 showed his offensive instincts remain valuable. However, playoff basketball is ultimately about survivability on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma City relentlessly hunted him defensively every chance they got.

The numbers were ugly, and the eye test was even worse. Reaves struggled to stay in front of quicker guards. He repeatedly lost defensive positioning navigating screens and often forced the Lakers into desperate rotational help situations that Oklahoma City punished mercilessly.

Then came the turnovers. His eight giveaways in the elimination game became symbolic of the larger issue. Note that he turned the ball over 5.5 times per game against OKC in the playoffs. Reaves simply did not provide the composure or stability required from a championship-level secondary ball handler.

That matters enormously next to Luka. Doncic already commands massive offensive responsibility. The ideal backcourt partner must complement him defensively while reducing pressure on the perimeter. Reaves does neither.

Defensive identity over offensive flair

One of the most important lessons from this sweep is that the Lakers truly suffer from imbalance. Luka guarantees elite offensive creation when healthy. Rui Hachimura showed legitimate scoring flashes throughout the postseason. The bigger issue is defensive reliability.

The Thunder looked dramatically faster, longer, and more connected because their roster was filled with players who could survive defensively across multiple positions. The Lakers, meanwhile, constantly scrambled to hide weaknesses.

Trading Reaves while his value remains high could allow the Lakers to pursue an elite perimeter defender capable of spacing the floor without requiring constant offensive touches. A true “three-and-D” wing would immediately stabilize the lineup around Luka and Hachimura. It would also help restore the defensive identity the Lakers once possessed during their championship years.

Luka Doncic’s timeline

The Lakers cannot do any gradual experimentation. Luka is already in his prime. The Western Conference is becoming more ruthless every season. The Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs are all building terrifying long-term cores driven by youth and athleticism.

Los Angeles must respond accordingly. Keeping flawed pieces simply because they are familiar would be organizational malpractice. Ayton and Reaves remain talented players. However, talent alone is not enough when roster fit becomes the defining factor separating contenders from pretenders.

The Thunder sweep exposed how the Lakers lack toughness, speed, defensive versatility, and interior consistency. Now the front office must decide whether it has the courage to fix it.

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