Lakers Reportedly Not Gauging Austin Reaves Trade Value Ahead of NBA Free Agency
The Los Angeles Lakers "are not making calls" to see the possible return from an Austin Reaves trade, according to The Athletic's Dan Woike.
"As free agency begins, the Lakers are motivated not to sacrifice long-term flexibility as they begin to arm themselves for a potential run at another superstar to pair with Dončić as soon as next summer," Woike reported Monday.
"Reaves, who turned down a nearly $90 million extension last week, is viewed as a key piece alongside Dončić, the star the team is building around in the present and future."
Chris Haynes reported on Monday that there are "a lot of rival executives who hold Austin Reaves in high regard":
Reaves is coming off another season in which he set career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (4.5) and assists (5.8). He also shot 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Combine the 27-year-old's production with a salary that's still very modest ($13.9 million) and he's one of the best trade assets general manager Rob Pelinka has at his disposal.
And that became even more notable after Sunday.
LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania that the 21-time All-Star is utilizing his $52.6 million player option for 2025-26. However, LeBron is also "closely monitoring" what Pelinka does to upgrade the roster.
Los Angeles doesn't have a lot of salary cap space when James and Dončić combine to make almost $99 million. While Pelinka can make some good additions through free agency, a trade is the path through which the most impactful acquisition will happen.
If the Lakers are determined to keep Reaves, then it raises some questions about how much they're truly going all in for this year. And if they're just trying to stay competitive versus pulling out all of the stops in pursuit of a title, what might it mean for James?
In the past, the fanbase might've responded a little differently to Woike's report. As good as Reaves is, he's a very good secondary scoring option rather than a true superstar or cornerstone. In short, he's expendable for the right price.
When considering a timeline with Dončić at the fore, on the other hand, Reaves becomes a critical piece for L.A. It begins to make a lot more sense to hold onto him because he can team up with Luka for multiple years down the road.
That seems to be the outlook Pelinka currently has in mind.
