Lakers Trade Rumors: Austin Reaves Valued by LA; Would Need ‘Clear-Cut’ All-Star Back

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As rumors swirl regarding potential trades to upgrade their roster, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly aren’t looking to include Austin Reaves in any deals.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Reaves is “close” to untouchable, as the Lakers have “no interest” in trading him unless they receive a “clear-cut All-Star” or multiple rotation upgrades in return.

Per Buha, the Lakers would need to be offered someone better than Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray or Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine in order to consider trading away Reaves.

The 25-year-old Reaves, who is in the midst of his third NBA season, has arguably been the Lakers’ most important player outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis during the 2023-24 campaign.

Reaves has started 17 of the 42 games he has appeared in, and he is averaging a career-high 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 three-pointers made in 30.1 minutes per contest, while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite going undrafted out of Oklahoma, Reaves worked his way into the Lakers’ rotation as a rookie in 2021-22.

He became a much bigger part of the team’s success last season and played a sizable role in the Lakers’ playoff run to the Western Conference Finals, as he averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 three-pointers made in 16 postseason contests.

The Lakers rewarded Reaves for his strong playoff performance, signing him to a four-year, $53.83 million contract extension.

Given what Reaves brings to the table as a complementary scorer alongside James and Davis, it can argue that his contract represents one of the best values in the NBA.

After reaching the WCF last season, the Lakers have had something of a disappointing 2023-24 campaign thus far. They did win the first-ever NBA in-season tournament, but they are just 21-21, which has them in 10th place in the Western Conference.

If the season ended today, the Lakers would have to win a pair of postseason play-in games to make the playoffs, and they would likely rather not be in such a precarious position.

With the Lakers hanging around the fringes of playoff contention, they have been linked to several players in trade rumors this season, including Murray and LaVine. There is some thought that added a third star alongside LeBron and AD may be what the Lakers need to reach the next level.

However, unless the Lakers are able to execute a true blockbuster for a superstar player, it sounds as though Reaves is essentially off the table.