Lakers Trade Rumors: Austin Reaves Untouchable Unless It’s for a ‘Legit’ NBA All-Star

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVJune 25, 2024

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly determined to keep Austin Reaves on their payroll moving forward.

“The Lakers, by all indications, are not trying to trade Austin Reaves unless it is an All-Star-level guy. … Even then, it seems like it’s a legit All-Star, not just a fringe All-Star type. They did not want to include him in a potential trade for Dejounte Murray at the deadline,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on his podcast (21:15 mark).

Reaves’ four-year, $53.8 million contract is one of the NBA’s best value deals. The 26-year-old can—and almost certainly will–become a free agent in 2026, but the Lakers still have two seasons on a deal that gives them a quality starter at a below-market cost.

It makes sense that the Lakers would value Reaves’ contract as much as they do his play and be hesitant to trade him. LeBron James and Anthony Davis take up a lion’s share of the salary cap, and the Lakers have less valuable players with matchable salaries as they search for a third star.

Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura could all be packaged in trades along with future draft picks, and D’Angelo Russell is a sign-and-trade candidate if he opts for free agency as expected.

Still, none of those players carry the same value as Reaves and it wouldn’t make sense for teams to just hand over a star player for roster flotsam. Reaves will have to be included if the Lakers want to make a move for a true difference maker this summer.