Lakers Rumors: Austin Reaves Trade Remains 'Non-Starter' Ahead of 2025 NBA Deadline

Despite constant rumors and speculation that the Los Angeles Lakers would like to make a trade to improve their roster, they reportedly remain reluctant to move one of their most attractive trade pieces.

During an appearance on Buha's Block (beginning at the 20-minute mark of the video), Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Lakers don't want to part ways with Austin Reaves, saying:

"They've been mostly stagnant for almost two years now in terms of making moves. And they've been very reluctant, specifically, to discuss Austin Reaves who I only highlight because he's a good, young player on a very team-friendly contract that would inspire other teams to play ball, negotiation-wise. But that, to my knowledge, is still a non-starter."

Aside from Reaves, it can be argued that the Lakers don't have many other assets that opposing teams would want back in a trade for a star player.

The Lakers signed the 26-year-old Reaves as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2021, and it wasn't long before he developed into a key contributor.

After showing plenty of flashes during 61 appearances as a rookie, Reaves took his game to the next level in 2022-23, finishing seventh in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting after averaging 13.0 points per game.

Since then, Reaves has moved into the starting lineup and he has continued to improve, averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 three-pointers made last season, and 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers made an 1.1 steals so far this season.

While LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the clear superstars who will have the biggest hand in the Lakers' success this season, Reaves is the team's third-leading scorer and he leads the supporting cast of D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht and Co.

Reaves also signed a four-year, $53.83 million contract extension in 2023, putting him under contract through at least the 2025-26 season at a remarkable value given his production.

Trading a player who is young, productive and affordable would come with considerable risk, which may be why Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has been reluctant to do it.

However, the Lakers have not been able to get over the hump and return to championship contention with the roster as it's currently constructed.

Since winning a championship in 2020, the Lakers have made three playoff appearances, losing in the first round twice. They did make it to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, but they were thoroughly outclassed by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

So far this season, Los Angeles is 13-11, placing it eighth in the highly competitive Western Conference.

That means the Lakers are once again in line to have to go through the postseason play-in tournament in order to reach the playoffs, which has become something of a tradition for them.

The Lakers would undoubtedly prefer to finish in the top six and avoid the pressure of the play-in, but they don't make a big move for a star or star-adjacent player to play alongside James and Davis, it is possible that they have already reached their ceiling.