Lakers guard Austin Reaves had a rollercoaster of a season, from displaying excellent versatility toward a career year to finding himself in trade proposals after a lackluster playoff series. Amid plenty of speculation and the rumors only growing, Reaves’ agent took to social media with a clear message.
Aaron Reilly, founder of AMR Agency, posted a clear warning to X in light of Reaves’ name appearing in trade rumors.
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“Next year is going to be a show,” he wrote Saturday. “People really have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers.”
The comments came not long after NBA veteran (and former Laker) Lou Williams said the team no longer needed Reaves now that Luka Doncic was in town.
“Now [that] you have Luka, you don’t really need what Austin Reaves [brings] to the table,” Williams said on FanDuel TV Friday, stressing that if the Lakers wanted to upgrade, AR would have to go. “You have the alpha in that category. You don’t necessarily need the second best option there.”
Reaves recorded career-highs across the board in his fourth season. In 73 games, he put up 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists on .460/.377/.877 splits. However, he could not match that efficiency in the playoffs. While the Minnesota Timberwolves gentlemen-swept the Lakers, Reaves averaged 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists on 41% shooting from the field and nearly 32% from three.
Reilly is Right: Reaves Must Stay in LA
Ever since that disappointing postseason, Reaves’ name has popped up in mock trades for anyone from Paul George and the Sixers’ No. 3 pick to Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware. LA Times sportswriter Dan Woike has already confirmed that the Lakers won’t trade Reaves unless it’s for a “foundational important piece” at center, and it should certainly stay that way.
The purple and gold have proven they value Reaves and his current trajectory as a budding All-Star. His current contract (four years, $53 million) is viewed as a steal across the league. According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, Reaves is “nearly sure” to decline his $14.9 million player option in favor of a starting salary around $30 million.
Reaves has fit like a glove in LA amid the team’s many iterations, and his adaptability was one of several reasons why he and Doncic succeeded as a backcourt. With LeBron James still undecided on his future with the Lakers, the team would only benefit from locking Reaves up on a new deal. He is an ideal complement to James and Doncic with his offensive firepower, and at 26 years old, the best is truly yet to come.
Following LA’s early exit, Reaves reflected on gelling with the two superstars, saying their chemistry will come with time.
“Just continuing to grow together,” Reaves said. “Obviously they’re unbelievable basketball players and the more time we spend, not with just them, but the whole unit, you’re just gonna become more cohesive, more together, know exactly what you’re gonna do every possession when things get tough, you’re rolling with how you want to play the game. I thought we did a really good job of that in the regular season and we just didn’t play good enough in this series.”
The Last Word
Both Reaves and the Lakers have some time to decide on what the future looks like for both parties. But, based on Reaves’ individual success and the Lakers’ newfound direction, it’s only right that this partnership continues for the long haul.
