The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be active in trying to make roster adjustments this offseason. Their best potential trade asset is guard Austin Reaves.
He consistently improved over his first three seasons in the NBA, but he cemented himself as a borderline star this season, having averaged 20.2 points per game.
The Lakers view Reaves as a building block, but some may consider his skill set a little redundant to LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The team really needs a high-end center, and trading Reaves would be the quickest path to land one.
However, some believe that wouldn’t be a good idea. Robby Kalland of CBS Sports put together a list of two reasons why the Lakers shouldn’t trade Reaves. The first reason was due to the fact that the guard is the only other reliable shot creator for the team.
“It starts with basketball reasons for not trading Reaves, which leads with his ability to create for himself and others,” Kalland wrote. “Having a secondary on-ball threat alongside Dončić and James is vital, especially come playoff time when defenses ratchet up their pressure.”
Kalland also thinks that the depth that Reaves brings to the Lakers is very important.
“If this postseason has shown us anything, it’s that to build a contender you have to have high-end depth beyond your top stars. Reaves provides that and, as we’ll get to next, offers a great deal of value for the money L.A. is paying him right now,” Kalland added.
Another Reason Not to Trade Reaves
Reaves is likely going to expect a big contract soon, but right now, he’s a huge steal for the Lakers. Kalland’s second reason for why the team shouldn’t trade him is due to the value that he brings in comparison to players in the same salary range.
“From a business perspective, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade Reaves right now because there aren’t many players out there who give you more production for the money Reaves is making,” Kalland wrote. “You could find some guys on rookie deals who do (and none of them are available in a trade), but for a player on his second contract, Reaves at just shy of $14 million next season is a steal.”
NBA trades are all about making the salaries work, so the Lakers might want to wait until Reaves is making star money.
Lakers Need to Get a Star in Return if They Trade Reaves
Reaves averaged 20.2 points a game on a team that features James and Doncic. If he were the No. 1 option on a team, he could possibly be putting up even bigger numbers.
The Lakers can’t risk trading him for a mid-level player just to watch him become an All-Star. The only way Los Angeles would likely consider trading him is if it were in a package for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant, not someone like Nic Claxton or Walker Kessler. In the end, it seems more likely than not that Reaves is on the Lakers’ roster at the start of next season.
