Max Kellerman has never shied away from bold proclamations, but his latest suggestion might be one of his most provocative yet. During a recent episode of his new podcast, "Game Over," co-hosted with Rich Paul on The Ringer network, the veteran sports analyst floated a trade idea that has the basketball world buzzing: the Los Angeles Lakers should seriously consider trading Luka Dončić.
This isn't Kellerman's first time making waves with the Lakers. Just days earlier, his co-host Rich Paul—who also happens to be LeBron James' longtime agent—ignited controversy by proposing a trade that would send Lakers guard Austin Reaves to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr. That suggestion reportedly didn't sit well within the Lakers organization, with LeBron himself distancing from the commentary. Now, Kellerman has doubled down on the trade talk, but with a far more shocking target: the team's newly acquired superstar, Luka Dončić.
The Core Argument: Defense Wins Championships
Kellerman's rationale centers on a fundamental basketball philosophy that has guided championship teams for decades. "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," Kellerman asserted during the podcast. He elaborated that while offensive brilliance can carry a team through the regular season, postseason success demands a commitment on both ends of the floor.
The analyst didn't mince words about the defensive concerns. "If your best player isn't that [a team defender], very hard to win a championship," he continued. Kellerman pointed to what he perceives as redundancy in the Lakers' backcourt, noting that both Dončić and Reaves operate best with the ball in their hands and offer similar defensive limitations. His proposed solution is drastic but straightforward: trade one of them, and since Luka would command the greater return, he should be the one to go.
"I can get x for Austin. I can get 3x for Luka," Kellerman explained, emphasizing the potential haul the Lakers could receive in exchange for the Slovenian superstar. The implication is clear: rather than building around a generational offensive talent with defensive question marks, the Lakers could flip him for multiple elite players who better fit a balanced championship formula.
Context: A History of Hot Takes
To understand the gravity of Kellerman's suggestion, it's worth examining his track record of controversial sports opinions. This is, after all, the same analyst who famously declared in 2016 that Tom Brady was about to "fall off a cliff" in terms of performance—a prediction that aged poorly as Brady went on to win multiple Super Bowls and an MVP award in the subsequent years.
Kellerman has also made headlines for his basketball takes, most notably stating he would prefer Andre Iguodala taking a crucial shot over Stephen Curry, a comment that drew widespread ridicule given Curry's status as arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history. These precedents suggest Kellerman may prioritize provocative commentary over conventional wisdom, understanding that bold statements generate engagement and discussion.
Some observers speculate that Kellerman's latest take might be partially motivated by a desire to deflect criticism from his co-host Rich Paul. As an active agent representing one of the Lakers' star players, Paul's trade suggestions create potential conflicts of interest and could strain relationships within the organization. By proposing an even more outlandish trade idea, Kellerman could be attempting to shift the conversation away from Paul's more realistic but problematic suggestion.
The Reality Check: Why Trading Luka Makes No Sense
While Kellerman's argument follows a certain logical framework, it crumbles under scrutiny for several reasons. First and foremost, championship teams are rarely—if ever—built by trading away top-five players in their prime. The Lakers themselves have built their legacy around acquiring and retaining superstars, from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. Trading Dončić would represent a fundamental departure from the organizational philosophy that has brought them 17 championships.
Second, the notion that Dončić cannot be part of a championship defense is premature at best. While his defensive effort has been questioned at times, he's still just 26 years old and has shown improvement when properly motivated and surrounded by the right personnel. Many offensive superstars, including LeBron James early in his career, faced similar criticisms before developing into more complete two-way players. The Lakers have the coaching staff and veteran leadership to help Dončić grow defensively.
Third, the "redundancy" argument between Dončić and Reaves overlooks the fact that elite teams often thrive on having multiple playmakers. The Golden State Warriors succeeded with both Curry and Draymond Green facilitating. The Boston Celtics feature multiple ball-handlers in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Having two players who can create offense isn't a weakness—it's a luxury that most teams actively pursue.
The Trade Value Fallacy
Kellerman's assertion that the Lakers could get "3x" for Dončić compared to what they'd receive for Reaves, while mathematically true, misses the point of team building. Yes, trading a superstar yields a massive return, but that return is almost never equivalent in value to the player being moved. The sum of the parts rarely equals the whole when dealing with generational talent.
The Dallas Mavericks learned this lesson the hard way when they traded Dončić to the Lakers earlier this season. Despite receiving a package that included multiple players and draft assets, the immediate consensus was that the Mavericks had made a historic blunder by parting with a 25-year-old franchise cornerstone. The Lakers would be wise not to repeat that mistake from the opposite perspective.
Who Actually Agrees?
The article humorously notes that there are probably only two people who believe the Lakers should trade Luka Dončić: Max Kellerman and Nico Harrison, the Mavericks general manager who orchestrated the original trade. This stark reality highlights just how far outside the mainstream Kellerman's take truly is.
NBA executives, coaches, and analysts overwhelmingly agree that acquiring a player of Dončić's caliber is the hardest part of championship construction. Once you have that piece, you build around it, not dismantle it. The Lakers' challenge isn't whether to keep Dončić, but how to optimize the roster to maximize his strengths while mitigating his weaknesses.
The Bottom Line
Kellerman's suggestion makes for compelling podcast content precisely because it's so controversial. It challenges conventional thinking and sparks debate among fans and analysts alike. However, as a legitimate basketball strategy, it falls short of credibility.
The Lakers find themselves in a position that every NBA franchise covets: they possess a young, generational talent who can be the face of their franchise for the next decade-plus. While defensive concerns are valid and roster construction around him requires careful consideration, the solution is not to trade Luka Dončić. It's to develop him further, surround him with complementary pieces, and pursue the championship path that so many teams before them have successfully walked.
In the world of sports media, hot takes come and go. Some age like fine wine, while others crumble under the weight of reality. Kellerman's trade suggestion firmly belongs in the latter category—a provocative idea that generates conversation but fails to withstand serious basketball analysis. For the Lakers, the path forward is clear: build around Luka, not without him.