The Los Angeles Lakers committed to Austin Reaves this summer by signing him to a four-year, $180 million contract to pair him with Luka Doncic for the next few seasons, but the idea of trading the star shooting guard can’t be ruled out if the franchise is seriously looking for a roster upgrade.
The backcourt combination of Reaves and Doncic is top-tier on offense, but defensively, there are serious questions. If the Lakers quickly realize the two aren’t a championship-worthy guard duo, they could get a massive haul back for Reaves and upgrade by adding another, perhaps more established superstar.
For now, the Lakers have no plans to trade Reaves. But if Rob Pelinka and the front office believe there is a player better suited to play next to Doncic, Los Angeles could get back someone to the level of former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, according to one insider’s latest comments.
Lakers Could Trade Austin Reaves For Jaylen Brown
Speaking on a recent episode of his show, Lakers reporter Jovan Buha said that the franchise could get a superstar back if trading Reaves down the road feels like a necessary move. They didn’t trade him in the past when they had a chance, but if he isn’t the type of player that maximizes Doncic, a list of high-end names could be available on the market for the 28-year-old shooting guard.
“The bar to trade Austin is high,” Buha said. “On top of that, they just re-signed him. My continued understanding of where they’re at with Austin is if they trade Austin, it’s to level up.”
“The Lakers could have had Kyrie if they were willing to give up Austin, and they said no. They kept Austin out of the Luka trade,” he added. “They’ve had opportunities – Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, De’Aaron Fox, Trae Young – where the Lakers could have potentially traded for an All-Star-level player. Were they willing to give up Austin Reaves? They’ve continually said no.”
There have been previous links to Irving considering Doncic had success with him in Dallas, but getting another point guard like him, Murray, or Fox seems unlikely. Instead, Buha mentioned names like star wings Scottie Barnes and Jaylen Brown as the type of players the Lakers would seriously consider trading Reaves to get back.
Brown might be the most intriguing option, as he is a top-tier scorer with arguably the strongest resume of players who would be available in a Reaves trade. He’s one of the best two-way wings in the NBA, and would drastically fill the hole in Los Angeles’ lineup, while also giving Doncic a bit more help both scoring the ball and stopping the opposing team’s top perimeter players.
If the Lakers feel the current shooting guard isn’t getting the job done on the defensive end, Brown becomes a solid option to replace him in what would still be a massive gamble of a trade.
“The Lakers need a ball handler of a certain caliber to complement Luka and supplement what he does and be that sidekick offensive piece,” he continued. “If you trade Austin, you need someone pretty similar, in my opinion, to him from a ball-handling, shot-creating [standpoint],” Buha added. “You need another at least top-50 guy who can score and pass and playmake at a certain level, relatively close to Austin.”
The Lakers appear happy with what they have in the backcourt with Doncic and Reaves, but if trading the latter starts to look like a good idea, what Brown has to offer on both sides of the ball is likely the best option for Los Angeles.
Would Los Angeles Move The Star Guard For A Defensive Upgrade
Though the Lakers front office would likely heavily deny any notion of a Reaves trade anytime soon, upgrading on the defensive end isn’t out of the question.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Colin Keane believes the franchise has a better chance of winning a championship with someone who is a lockdown defender, rather than relying on both Doncic and Reaves to take a leap that hasn’t been seen in their careers so far on that end of the court.
“When you have a dynamic offensive engine like Doncic…you don’t necessarily need another excellent playmaker and ball-handler to win a championship,” he wrote. “There’s also the fact that Reaves — like Doncic — is a liability defensively. By trading him and getting defensive value in return, you’d be mitigating your biggest weakness as a club.”
Brown has had one of the best defensive ratings over the past few years at his position, and continuously makes a case for being one of the best two-way players in the NBA. If a Reaves trade eventually feels like it would be necessary, the former Boston Celtics Finals MVP and current star Philadelphia 76ers forward would be the type of player who would both be an upgrade on the defensive end and offer a very similar playmaking and shot-creating skill set as Reaves, which Los Angeles would need.
“Reaves is an awesome NBA player and deserved his payday, but that doesn’t mean he’s the right fit for the Lakers, especially if a championship is the goal.”
Any potential Lakers’ Reaves trade remains a hypothetical, and though the idea of adding someone like Brown, or even Scottie Barnes or another star player, makes for an intriguing thought experiment, Los Angeles still doesn’t know what they have with this new-build roster.
There’s a real chance the Doncic and Reaves duo work well with Walker Kessler and the new players Pelinka brought in, but there’s another realistic scenario in which it doesn’t.
A defensive upgrade while also keeping the 20-25 points per game would be the best possible Reaves trade package the Lakers could get back, and if things go south in Philly, Los Angeles might want to consider if getting Brown is the right move.
The former Finals MVP has experience sharing the court with another superstar, and if the Lakers feel the Doncic-Reaves combination isn’t working, at least exploring the trade market for a player at Brown’s caliber can’t be ruled out.
Lakers Could Trade Austin Reaves For Finals MVP Superstar Wing: Rumor