The last NBA team to three-peat—win three Larry O’Brien trophies in succession—was the Los Angeles Lakers, and they couldn’t have done that without one Robert Horry. Already a two-time champion with the Houston Rockets when he donned the Purple and Gold, Horry played the dual roles of stretch 4 and stabilizer, most of the time coming off the bench and finishing games alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Horry didn’t post eye-popping numbers for the Lakers in their three-peat, but he almost always came up clutch in the playoffs, routinely hitting dagger threes at the most critical of times. He most memorably hit a game-winning buzzer-beating triple in Game 4 of the Lakers’ epic clash with the stacked Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. It was a game-winner that, at that time, kept the Lakers’ back-to-back dreams alive as it kept the then defending champs from falling into a 3-1 hole against the talented Kings.
So, it’s safe to say Horry knows a thing or two about winning championships and built quite a reputation as somewhat of a Lakers legend in his own right. Now, he wants his former team to make a drastic move that he probably feels is the best for the franchise moving forward.
Horry Wants Lakers to Trade Austin Reaves
In his “Big Shot Rob” podcast recently, Horry suggested that the Lakers—if they “were smart”—sign and trade Austin Reaves. While the artist also known as Big Shot Rob wants Reaves traded, he nonetheless acknowledged that the fourth-year guard is a good player but is a duplication of one Luka Doncic, whom the Lakers acquired via a blockbuster trade late last season.
“If the Lakers were smart, they would do a sign-and-trade. And the reason I say that is because when you have a team with two players who are pretty much the same, meaning Luka and AR, and I’m not saying they have the same skill set,” Horry said. “They play the same position, they pretty much do the same thing. It’s a wash. And don’t get me wrong, I love AR and I think he could play, but you don’t need two of the same players. You think about the NBA, it’s all about a fit. You look at all the great teams, they all have something different. There’s no two Jokers. There’s no two Giannises, no two Shai Gilgeouses.”
Reaves’s production has steadily increased since coming to the Lakers as a free agent after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. Last season, Reaves put up career-high numbers across the board, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 73 games. He also established career-bests in points and assists last season, going off for 45 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a midseason win over the Indiana Pacers and dishing off 16 dimes in an early-season victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Player Option for Austin Reaves Makes Horry’s Suggestion Sensible
Curiously, Horry’s suggestion actually seems to make sense. For one, he’s right that Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic are play-alikes to a degree. But, equally important, is Reaves’ contract situation. He signed a four-year, $53.8 million extension in 2023, but the deal includes a player option for 2026–27 that he’s expected to decline. That means Reaves could potentially sign elsewhere after this season—without the Lakers getting anything in return.
So, yes, it appears Horry’s suggestion is something the Lakers ought to think about seriously. Then again, Austin Reaves has proven to be quite the player for the Purple and Gold, and he could surely help the storied franchise in their title chase this season.
