Lakers' Austin Reaves Says 'I Want to Be in LA' amid NBA Trade Rumors
Austin Reaves' name has been mentioned in trade rumors of late, but the Los Angeles Lakers guard isn't particularly interested in a change of scenery.
"I think the sky's the limit for us. We're moving in the right direction. Obviously, adding Luka Dončić, it gives you a Hall of Fame player such a young age that you can build around, and then obviously, still having LeBron James, the IQ, and still running around at 40 years old," he told Charles McCary of K8 News. "But I want to be in L.A. I want to play my whole career in L.A. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf. And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball. I don't pay attention to [trade rumors]. I keep my head down, work, and I feel like that's one of the reasons I'm where I'm at."
Reaves, 27, continues to be a key piece for the Lakers, setting career highs in points (20.2 PPG), assists (5.8 APG), rebounds (5.8 RPG) and steals (1.1 SPG) this past season while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three.
There's no doubt he's established himself as a key player, though his fit became a bit more questionable after the addition of Dončić. The Lakers now have three players who are most effective operating on the ball, and moving Reaves for a player on the wing or high-level center could make sense from a roster-balance perspective.
Time will tell. If the Lakers did move Reaves, however, it would be to bring back a major piece. Reaves is hoping they add to the roster in some other manner.
