The Los Angeles Lakers have a big offseason ahead and one of their most crucial decisions will be what they do with Austin Reaves.
The guard is coming off a career-year in which he averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 73 games. But he struggled a bit in the postseason, which has led some fans to want to trade him.
Recent reports have indicated that the Lakers have no interest in trading Reaves, which falls in line with Rob Pelinka’s comments after the season about wanting to build around the trio of Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
If the Lakers want to make trades to upgrade their roster though, Reaves is unquestionably their best asset. Additionally, the 26-year-old is making just $14 million this season but will likely be an unrestricted free agent next offseason where he will command a much bigger contract. Because of that, this summer may be the best time to trade Reaves to get equal value back.
Reaves’ agent Aaron Reilly of AMR Agency doesn’t appear to think that’s a good idea though as he took to social media to issue a warning to those putting his client in the trade machine:
Next year is going to be a show. People really have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers. @TheRealReggieB https://t.co/Q6ROei9DNi
— Aaron Reilly (@AMRAgency) May 24, 2025
Reaves is one of the Lakers’ biggest success stories in recent years as he went from undrafted free agent in 2021 to All Star-caliber player in 2025.
The fit with Doncic and James isn’t exactly ideal though, which is why some fans want to see him get traded for a center. But as Reilly alluded to, Reaves is still improving as a player and the Lakers will certainly regret it if they trade him and he takes another leap next season.
What the Lakers decide with Reaves could end up shaping their offseason. It will be challenging to make significant improvements while keeping him, but it also won’t be easy to bring in a player as good as him if they complete a trade.
Austin Reaves reflects on Lakers’ 2024-25 season
Even though the Lakers’ season didn’t end how they wanted it to, Austin Reaves spoke about how much fun he had when reflecting on the year that was.
“I had a lot of fun,” Reaves said in his exit interview. “Forget the basketball, I enjoyed every single day going to work and being around these guys, the coaching staff, training staff, weight staff, everybody in the organization. From game one to game 82 and now, I just had a lot of fun. I always speak about how growing up playing with your best friends in high school, sometimes nothing will ever top that because you’ve been able to play high school basketball with guys you grew up with your whole life.
“But this is right up there with all of that. I really enjoyed it and like I said, I had fun regardless of statistics or anything. I enjoyed going to work every single day and putting in the work and going to battle with these guys.”
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