The Desmond Bane trade might make fans question whether to trade Austin Reaves, but the Lakers should stand firm in their belief.
Even in a post-Luka Dončić trade world, the Grizzlies dealing away Desmond Bane on Sunday morning was a shocking move.
Not only did no one expect Memphis to trade him, but the return they received from the Magic was staggering as Orlando sent four first round picks, a pick swap and Lakers legend Kentavious Caldwell-Pope along with Cole Anthony.
It was the type of deal where Memphis almost certainly couldn’t say yes quickly enough, even if it also likely makes the Magic better in a very weak Eastern Conference. Bane is a talented player who, even if he’s not worth that much, does fill a massive need Orlando has had for multiple seasons.
While this move won’t directly impact the Lakers outside of potentially weakening a playoff competitor in the Grizzlies, it did lead to many on social media bringing up Austin Reaves. The general thinking was that if Bane can net that in return, perhaps the Lakers should explore dealing Reaves for a similar package.
Except, that’s not how things work
The biggest reason the Lakers wouldn’t get near the package the Grizzlies got for Bane is their contract situations. Bane is under contract through the 2028-29 season. Reaves, meanwhile, is effectively on an expiring contract as he has a player option next summer that he will almost certainly lead to him opting out of his contract for a bigger payday.
That means there would be a significantly smaller return in a trade, which means the Lakers’ stance on Reaves shouldn’t change. During his exit interview at the end of the season, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka spoke about building around Reaves, Luka and LeBron James.
“The level of confidence in Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Dončić is at an all-time high, still,” Pelinka said. “So, no change in how we feel about those three guys [after the playoff defeat]…I think those three guys have incredible promise playing together and we will collectively do a better job to make sure they’re surrounded by the right pieces to have ultimate success.”
Basically, not words of someone looking to trade him.
If anything, this Bane deal should actually solidify the notion that the Lakers should look to agree to a deal with Reaves next summer. Securing him to a long-term deal means that, in the best-case scenario, you have a great player locked up for a long time or, in the worst-case scenario, you have someone you can trade for a whole lot of assets.
This isn’t to say Reaves should be untouchable, as our readers voted recently. But it does mean that looking to simply trade him for draft capital or a sideways deal right now is not the move.
If you want to include him in a package for a superstar, then the Lakers should be willing to listen. But the only thing the Bane trade should show the Lakers is that it makes more sense to hold onto Reaves moving forward.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.