The Los Angeles Lakers signed Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract extension this summer to keep him with Luka Doncic for the next few years, but that doesn’t mean the undrafted star is exempt from trade rumors, and after his relatively slow start to the new NBA season, his name is once again being brought up as someone the team could move for a major upgrade.
Just by looking at his counting stats, Reaves is having a solid year. However, after signing him to a big deal, the early turnover issues, and questions about a long-term defensive fit next to Doncic, the Lakers could start to explore what a Reaves trade return package would look like, and whether it could result in an overall roster upgrade.
Reaves can’t be traded until January 15, but that’s before the official NBA trade deadline in February, so he has at least a few more months to prove he should stick around.
Lakers Austin Reaves Trade Rumors Take Shocking Turn
Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast after the Lakers’ secondary star’s consistent turnover issues to start the season, Jovan Buha discussed a potential Reaves trade.
“I agree with a lot of the criticism,” Buha said on his latest podcast. “He’s not looked like a number one when Luka has been off the floor recently. He’s not playing up to the level he needs to play to, based on the contract.”
“I don’t think the solution is just trade him or, you know, give up on the partnership,” he added. “I think you gotta exhaust your options, figure out a way to optimize it. Austin deserves an opportunity to play better…Then in the future, if he doesn’t, if this goes on for the next few months, then of course you have to evaluate your options going to the trade deadline.”
Buha has previously discussed a Lakers’ Reaves trade idea in the past, and though he hasn’t been great to start the season, his new contract and cap hit won’t hinder Los Angeles from finding a partner, should the front office decide it’s best to move on. The ‘bad fit’ between Doncic and Reaves on defense would be the main reason a move would happen, but so far, there have been no signs that’s coming soon.
“I don’t think Austin’s gonna become untradeable,” Buha said. “I would be pretty stunned if the Lakers could not move Austin by the deadline if they really wanted to. Now, I don’t think they will, nor do I think they should, but I would be pretty shocked if they could not trade him if they wanted to.”
Through seven games so far this season, Reaves is averaging 23.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and a career-high 4.6 turnovers on 52% shooting. Overall, it’s pretty strong numbers, but with LeBron James now gone, it’s fair to say the Lakers were expecting another leap from the shooting guard.
It remains to be seen if Reaves will become a real trade candidate in a few months from now, but if the numbers drop and turnovers continue, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers’ front office could test the market to see what kind of package the team could get back for the 28-year-old.
What Could Los Angeles Get Back By Dealing The Undrafted Star?
As important as a potential Reaves trade is, perhaps more crucial would be what the Lakers could get back in a deal.
When continuing to discuss the topic, Buha mentioned the names of players like Trey Murphy, Ty Jerome, and Jamal Murray as players who could arrive in a Reaves trade later on this season.
“If you trade Austin, you need to get back a better version of Austin,” Buha noted. “You need another high-level ball handler, shot creator, offensive piece, offensive weapon to complement Luka.”
“If you trade Austin eventually, it needs to be a high, high, high-level offensive player. Like, it needs to be, to me, a top-30 player who is also better than Austin offensively from a ball-handling, playmaking standpoint. Otherwise, it’s too big of a downgrade.”
Additionally, when talking about the Lakers moving the shooting guard in an article earlier this summer, Collin Keane outlined how a Reaves trade to bring in defensive help can’t be ruled out, instead of Buha’s thought of bringing in another offensive weapon.
“I’d still be open to the idea of trading Reaves if I was getting a pair of two-way, starter-level players back in the deal. Yes, even if both of these guys were deemed “worse” players than Reaves offensively or even from an overall standpoint, I’d still consider a trade like this, depending on the specific players in question,” he wrote.
“In other words, the Lakers don’t need another high-usage creator beyond Doncic to make their offense functional, or even elite. What they do need are players who can defend at a high level and finish plays that Doncic constantly creates.”
Keane brought up names like Murphy and Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans, while someone at the level of OG Anunoby or Amen Thompson could also fit the mold of another defensive-minded star making similar money that could be used in a Lakers’ Reaves swap.
For now, the 28-year-old should feel safe.
However, the NBA is a dangerous and brutal business, so if the turnover trend continues and the team still looks bad on defense in a few months, the Lakers trading Reaves can’t be ruled out to find someone else who fits better with Doncic in the team’s hunt for an 18th championship.
Lakers Austin Reaves Lakers Rumors Take Shocking Turn