If the Los Angeles Lakers had any doubts that Austin Reaves was a max player, he’s done a lot of work to ease those doubts this season. Though he’s missed some games due to a groin injury, he is fifth in the NBA with 31.1 points per game.
With LeBron James missing the opening portion of the season, Reaves has proven that the only thing that held him back from putting up bigger numbers was the Lakers having too many mouths to feed.
For the Lakers, it would seem that Reaves should be part of their future plans, but he does have a similar skillset to Luka Doncic. If they decided to trade him, they could probably get a haul in return. Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes that the Dallas Mavericks could be the perfect trade partner for the Lakers.
“Prior to missing time with a groin issue, the 27-year-old was averaging more than 30 points and nine assists per game while nailing over 60 percent of his two-pointers. The hype is not overblown. He isn’t a deadeye shooter, but he doesn’t need space to keep defenses on tilt with his change-of-pace handle and improved passing against double-teams and out of traffic,” Favale wrote. “Adding Reaves’ interior finishing would be huge. He’s shooting 73 percent at the rim and 68 percent from floater range. The Mavs, meanwhile, don’t have a single non-big posting an above-average clip in the restricted area.
“A Reaves-Cooper Flagg duo has a ton of offensive upside on its own. Adding in Kyrie Irving will make it better. Reaves has shown he can remain impactful when he’s second or even third in the pecking order. Dallas must be wary of his 2026 free agency (player option). He could fetch near-max money. And that’s after having to give up some combination of Max Christie, Dereck Lively II and first-round equity.”
Would Lakers Consider Trading Reaves?
Favale mentioned Max Christie and Dereck Lively as two of the players the Lakers could get back in a possible Reaves trade. Christie has already been with the team and is Lively that much of an upgrade over Deandre Ayton?
From the Lakers’ perspective, they could probably do much better if they believe that Reaves’ recent stretch isn’t an anomaly. He’s playing like an All-Star right now, so if they’re going to trade him, they’ll likely want an All-Star in return. In the end, it’s difficult to see the Lakers actually trading Reaves unless it’s to help get a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Mavericks Do Need Help
This season hasn’t gotten off to a good start for the Mavericks. At 2-6, they are tied for the worst record in the Western Conference. It doesn’t help that Kyrie Irving could miss the whole season, but they still have talent.
Unfortunately, Anthony Davis has missed three games this season and is currently out due to injury. Rookie phenom Cooper Flagg has yet to make much of an impact. The Mavericks may need to make a big move if they want to be in the playoff mix this year, but they could also take it easy this year and go all in next year when Irving is healthy and Flagg has more experience.
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