Though never the first topic of conversation when it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves has been a crucial piece of the franchise over the last few seasons. Now, entering the final year of his four-year, $54 million deal with the Lakers, the shooting guard has been in numerous trade rumors and reports on a future outside of Los Angeles.
However, even with the rumors and conflicting reports on the Lakers’ potential trade interest, Reaves was recently given high praise as one of the top shooting guards in the NBA.
“Austin Reaves had a career-best season in 2024-25 and averaged a strong line of 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.1 steals across 34.9 minutes per game in 73 regular-season appearances,” JP Aravena of CBS Sports wrote, placing Reaves in his ‘Tier 2‘ of top fantasy basketball shooting guards for next season.
As Aravena wrote, Reaves had the best season of his career last year, with multiple career-highs and a greater offensive workload than his previous seasons with the Lakers.
Reaves Is A Top Shooting Guard
Reaves topped the Tier 2 list that also featured Dyson Daniels, Desmond Bane, and Amen Thompson as Aravena’s projected top shooting guards in fantasy next season. He was behind only Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell, expected to put up numbers even higher than his marks last year.
However, despite Reaves’ strong play, his spot in the Lakers’ pecking order makes it nearly impossible for him to reach the ‘Tier 1 status’, as opposed to players like Edwards or Mitchell, who have consistently led each of their teams in possession and scoring.
“The one thing that limits Reaves and prevents him from moving into Tier 1 is his usage rate and his expected role for the Lakers,” Aravena wrote. “He figures to be the team’s third option on offense once again, well behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James.”
While the future of James is less certain, Doncic now looks like a long-term staple for this Lakers team. Even if Reaves turns into a consistent All-Star, playing on the court with Doncic likely means he’ll never reach that mark as a top shooting guard in the league.
Lakers Trade Rumors
That’s where the trade rumors begin. As Reaves is entering the last year of his contract and continues to grow his game, there’s a chance the 27-year-old is hoping for a bigger opportunity somewhere else.
Most recently, Reaves was offered up in a mock trade with the Utah Jazz, which saw the Lakers send a package for Lauri Markkanen. He’s also been discussed as a potential fix for the Golden State Warriors and their Jonathan Kuminga problem, as well as a trade candidate for numerous other teams.
As the Lakers are the most covered team in the NBA, it comes with the territory, and Reaves said he doesn’t pay much attention to the rumor mill. Speaking at his annual camp earlier this summer, Reaves said he hopes for a long-term future with the Lakers, but knows that isn’t a guarantee.
“I want to be in L.A.,” Reaves said. “If they want to trade me, then we’ll start something new somewhere else. But like I said, 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 is the best organization in basketball. I don’t pay attention to [the noise]. I keep my head down, work, and I feel like that’s one of the reasons I’m where I’m at.”
Regardless of his status as perhaps one of the ‘most mock-traded players’ in recent NBA history, Reaves’ impact has been huge for the Lakers over the past four seasons. Though he might not be on the team next summer, or even in a few months, Reaves has a ton of trade value that Rob Pelinka and the franchise could move as they enter the ‘Luka Era.’
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