The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a hot start to the 2026-27 NBA season, led by Luka Doncic‘s MVP-caliber first nine games, as the team has a 7-2 record and sits second in the Western Conference standings.
But while things are going great for the Lakers so far, the team is reportedly still interested in making a trade to upgrade the roster, likely a move to add a new starting power forward or a backup center.
Though it might seem a bit perplexing, Austin Reaves has also been mentioned as a potential trade candidate for Los Angeles. His offensive numbers remain strong, but with turnovers an issue to start the year, his underwhelming defense, and overall fit questions playing alongside Doncic, the Lakers could use him as an asset to land another star who fits better with the current lineup.
Team reporter Jovan Buha has discussed a potential Reaves trade in the past, and in a new proposal, the Lakers move both him and Bronny James to land a former first overall pick who is having a strong start to the new season: Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Bold Lakers Trade Proposal Moving Austin Reaves And Bronny James For Zion Williamson
In a blockbuster trade proposal that works under the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement, X user TralaLakers offered up a three-team idea that would see the Lakers add Williamson amid one of the more efficient seasons of his career.
Here’s the trade proposal:
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Zion Williamson, Karlo Matkovic, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2029 first-round pick
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Austin Reaves, Bronny James, and Jerami Grant
Memphis Grizzlies receive: Jordan Poole
Obviously, at first glance, it’s hard to see the Lakers entertaining this trade proposal. More likely than not, the team wouldn’t be willing to make this deal, strictly due to how highly they value Reaves and the fact that Williamson hasn’t been consistently healthy through the first seven years of his career.
However, Williamson is once again putting up good numbers. He is averaging 21.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.5 steals on 60.8/42.9/76.3 shooting splits through eight games, and finally looks like the player New Orleans hoped he’d be when he was drafted.
Los Angeles needs another forward who can offer defensive upside, and having two scoring guards isn’t really the best for maximizing Doncic, especially considering the historic start he’s had to the year.
Should the Lakers get frustrated with Reaves (more on that in a minute), this trade would also give the team some much-needed draft picks from the Pelicans. It would somewhat replenish the team’s trade assets, and Rob Pelinka could repackage Williams and the picks for a bigger-name star down the road.
Regardless, at least for the time being, this Lakers trade proposal remains extremely unlikely and is just one offered up by a fan looking to pair the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft with their favorite team.
Why And Why Not Los Angeles Would Make This Move
As mentioned, the reasons for the Lakers not making this Reaves trade for Williamson are clear. They value the shooting guard, and while the forward has been mentioned as a potential target in the past, he might not be the best fit alongside Doncic, as someone else who needs the ball in his hands to succeed.
While he is shooting 42.9% from three this year, it’s only on 0.9 attempts per game, and if he did arrive in Los Angeles, spacing would automatically become a big issue.
The realistic aspect of this Lakers trade idea is the James or Matkolic swap, and while the Purple and Gold might see value in the draft picks the Pelicans could offer up, simply moving Reaves for Williamson remains extremely unlikely.
However, and here’s where things get interesting, the idea of the Lakers trading Reaves isn’t completely out of the picture. As Buha said on a recent episode of his show, there is a reality, though an unlikely one, in which Los Angeles moves on from the shooting guard.
“I agree with a lot of the criticism,” he said. “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…Then in the future, if he doesn’t (fit with Doncic), if this goes on for the next few months, then of course you have to evaluate your options going to the trade deadline.”
Buha did say multiple times that the Lakers would only trade Reaves for a better player, and it’s hard to argue they’d get that in Williamson.
“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, Collin Keane discussed how a Lakers’ Reaves trade would make sense if it’s for a defensive upgrade. Perhaps not Williamson, but a package of Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, or someone like OG Anunoby or Amen Thompson, could be a more manageable return.
Again, to be clear, this is just a trade idea, a very unrealistic one the Lakers almost certainly wouldn’t make, considering where Reaves and Williamson are at in their respective careers. Still, as time goes on, it can’t be ruled out that Los Angeles explores the market for the star shooting guard, especially if it means landing someone who could elevate the team’s ceiling playing next to Doncic.
Lakers Proposed To Trade Austin Reaves, Bronny James For First Overall Pick