You could always try and find other places to put the scene. You could even place it after Rey leaves with the Falcon and Luke feels like he has hit an all time low. I think it would be a great placement as well since it really gives you a sense of desperation before we enter the end of the Second Act.
I would not want to place that scene anywhere else in the film.
The Luke scene is very important. Rian’s excuses for cutting it make no sense.
I missed why you’re opposed to cutting to Leia as was intended?
Cutting to Leia would dictate that I would need to cut back to Luke and Rey before the fleet is attacked. Without committing to re-adding 2 or 3 deleted scenes that all rely on each other, that would make for a very quick, abrupt transition back to the island.