Rumors have run rampant about the Los Angeles Lakers potentially trading youngster Austin Reaves.
Reaves is coming off a tough series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging just 16.2 points while shooting 41.1% from the field, the worst mark of his playoff career. If the Lakers could find a way to move him for a starting piece, it isn’t out of the question to suggest that the Lakers should move on from him.
However, his agent threw a shot at fans who are putting him in trade rumors for a backup center. The Lakers need a starting center, and Reaves would be their best opportunity to get one.
His agent has heard the remarks.
“Next year is going to be a show,” agent Aaron Reilly wrote. “People have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers.”
Reaves’ Potential Out With the Lakers
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes that during the 2026-27 offseason, Reaves will decline his player option.
The Los Angeles Lakers have to be careful with that, as he could potentially get more money from a different team if another squad is willing to offer that. If they plan to lose him in the next year or two, the Lakers have to be smart and trade him when his value is as high as it currently is.
“Reaves is nearly sure to decline his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season to explore unrestricted free agency next summer, seeking a salary in the $30 million starting range,” he wrote.
“The most he can extend for ($19.5 million) is far short of that number. Any team acquiring him would need behind-the-scenes assurances that he’d re-sign at a pre-arranged price, although they wouldn’t be technically legal or binding.”
Would the Lakers Actually Move on From Reaves?
While some have suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers could move on from the Arkansas native, rumors have been shut down by prominent reporters, including Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who said that it’s unlikely that the Lakers will move him now, but that he could be traded in the future.
“I think the possibility of him being traded is actually low, at least this summer. This is something that we reported at The Athletic, for those who missed it last week on Friday, I had a big report with Sam Amick. One of the things that we reported there is that the Lakers do not want to trade Austin. That’s something I’ve continually heard for over 3 years now.
“That’s something I’ve reported multiple times over the last few years, that the Lakers have a high bar for trading Austin, value him, and view him highly. Forget what we’ve reported and what we’ve heard behind the scenes, just look at the public messaging where JJ Redick and Rob Polinka both spoke highly of Austin during the Lakers’ exit interviews last week.
“Rob called him one of the pillars of the organization. Going back a couple of months, JJ mentioned Austin in that conversation that he, LeBron and Luka had about the state of the offense at that time and JJ said at the time, of course Austin would be included in this conversation,” Buha said.
Of course, the Lakers likely didn’t expect to move on from Anthony Davis during this season.
Anything is possible in the NBA.
