Lakers Insider Doesn't Expect Austin Reaves to Be Traded After Playoff Loss to Wolves
The Los Angeles Lakers are bound to have a busy offseason following their first-round exit from the 2025 NBA playoffs. Dealing guard Austin Reaves may not be part of those plans.
Immediately after Los Angeles' 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, The Athletic's Jovan Buha said he "would temper expectations" from fans who want to trade Reaves this summer.
"I don't think the Lakers will," he said. "As of my current intel, I don't think that's gonna happen."
Reaves would certainly have value to another team. He averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists and shot 37.7 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season.
The 26-year-old's $13.9 million salary is also a bargain for 2025-26, though he's only a year out from getting a much bigger payday because he can opt out in 2026.
There's no getting around the fact that Reaves didn't play well in the opening round; he admitted it. He averaged 16.2 points per game in the series and didn't perform up to the standard required to be a third star behind LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
It's probably safe to assume James and Dončić are the only two untouchable pieces on the roster. In the case of Reaves, a blockbuster trade for a marquee star would likely require his inclusion.
The choice general manager Rob Pelinka will have to make is whether a transaction of that magnitude is better than keeping Reaves and using draft assets and salary filler on smaller upgrades.
