Wherever there is chaos, Gilbert Arenas will be driving right into it. The self-proclaimed ‘bandwagoner’ is aware of the recent drama surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ slump, which is flying parallel with Austin Reaves’ injury. Rich Paul also dampened the Purple and Gold’s emotional attachment to Reaves by suggesting a trade. A fallout reportedly ensued. But that didn’t seem to deter the former NBA star from backing LeBron James’ agent.

On Gil’s Arena, the “delusional Laker fan” himself stupefied his co-hosts by agreeing with Rich Paul.

Arenas can see the writing on the wall: “We just need to make a trade.”

“Rich Paul said it, and no one is going to accept it because it’s him,” Arenas said. “But the question that all Laker fans got to ask themselves is this: a third option has, Sixth Man, a few years ago, but a third option has played so well that he’s considered a No. 2 or someone’s No. 1. Do we sell this stock while it’s hot right now?”

Arenas had not even name-dropped Reaves at this point. But when he did, Rashad McCants and Brandon Jennings were shocked that he was talking about the Lakers star. It’s worth noting that even though they are polar opposites as Lakers fans, they’re both big supporters of Reaves and want him to stay in LA.

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But Arenas is dead serious.

As Reaves was having a breakout season before he got injured, Arenas thinks it’s the right time for him to go somewhere where he will be nothing less than the second, maybe even the first option. The Lakers could get very good returns for a player of his caliber, and Reaves could get a better contract.

“I don’t believe that he should take a pay cut, because you don’t get these chances of making yourself a $250 or $300 million man, right?” Arenas opined. “So right now, you have all the leverage, and someone has to give you that bag. And I don’t think you should try to take a pay cut for them to bring in a No. 2 to put you at No. 3. So it is one of those things where he did such a great job, you’re like, ‘Oh s—, what can we get for him?'”

When Arenas puts it that way, touting Reaves’ value right now, it doesn’t sound criminal at the very least. But as he reiterated, it sounded blasphemous when Paul said it.

Gilbert Arenas is probably the only one leaning into Rich Paul’s unthinkable suggestion

Austin Reaves is a couple of weeks away from returning to full health. He had suffered a gastrocnemius strain, leaving the Lakers struggling with a diminished backcourt and mounting injuries. He’s averaging 26.6 points and 6.3 assists a game while shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range so far this season.

It feels like a fever dream that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves built an offensive force together. LakeShow became attached to this duo and thrived during Reaves’ breakout run.

All that offseason chatter about the Lakers trading Reaves was forgotten. But Rich Paul just had to remind everyone of that.

This week on Game Over, LeBron James’ agent said the Lakers should consider trading Austin Reaves for Jaren Jackson Jr. Reaves’ agent, Reggie Berry of AMR Agency, didn’t like it and confronted Paul at the Lakers’ recent game.

Paul set the record straight that there was no heated confrontation. They only talked about a hypothetical scenario. Yet LeBron James seems to distance himself from his friend’s hypothesis, while Arenas leans into it.

It wasn’t just in Gil’s Arena. A few weeks ago, Arenas explained that the Lakers are too cash-strapped to pay Reaves the money he deserves.

“Give me Derik Queen and hand over Austin Reaves like it’s exact change at Starbucks,” the 3x All-Star said.

Again, he doesn’t want Reaves to be underpaid. But they’re talking about the undrafted LA native who did everything to become a Laker. It’s just hard to see him leaving for a bigger paycheck.

Reaves is not a new piece to be discussed in the trade market. Over the season, he’s been tagged into deals with Lauri Markkanen, Dillon Brooks, Zach LaVine, and so many more. The only deal that saw a ‘real upgrade’ coming the Lakers’ way would’ve been the Giannis Antetokounmpo one, even though they’d have to shell out a fortune of assets to make that work.

Anyway, for now, Reaves stays in the Purple and Gold as the team tries to bolster its win-now objective.