The Los Angeles Lakers have some work to do this offseason. After being heavily favored to win in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs, the team lost in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A big reason for their demise was their lack of size. Austin Reaves has emerged as a fringe star for the team and is easily their third-best player. His problem is that his skill set is a little redundant with Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the roster.
If the Lakers want to trade for a high-end big man this offseason, Reaves may be their most valuable trade piece. While Los Angeles loves the guard and views him as a building block, sacrifices will need to be made to get a more balanced roster.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons thinks it’s already a done deal. He doesn’t see a scenario where Reaves is on the roster next season.
“When Reaves gets traded this summer — and he WILL get traded – the stuff they [Lakers] get back for him is gonna make it seem worse that they [Mavericks] didn’t get him in the trade,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
What Value Does Reaves Have?
Reaves is a very interesting player to try and evaluate. He came into the NBA as an undrafted free agent, and there aren’t many of those players who have become stars.
He also doesn’t possess any elite athletic traits. However, he simply knows how to play basketball. Reaves has gotten better every season of his NBA career, and just averaged 20.2 points a game. It’s easy to see him having even better numbers when he doesn’t have to share the ball with Doncic and James.
If the Lakers make Reaves available, he should be able to get them a very good return. He’s only 26 and has shown star potential. He’s the best chip the team has if they hope to land a center.
Reaves Enjoyed Lakers Season
Reaves specifically wanted to go to the Lakers after college, and leaving the franchise now after he’s had so much success, would be a tough pill to swallow. Altough the season ended in disappointment, Reaves really enjoyed his time in Los Angeles.
“I had a lot of fun,” Reaves said in his exit interview. “Forget the basketball, I enjoyed every single day going to work and being around these guys, the coaching staff, training staff, weight staff, everybody in the organization. From game one to game 82 and now, I just had a lot of fun. I always speak about how growing up playing with your best friends in high school, sometimes nothing will ever top that because you’ve been able to play high school basketball with guys you grew up with your whole life.
“But this is right up there with all of that. I really enjoyed it and like I said, I had fun regardless of statistics or anything. I enjoyed going to work every single day and putting in the work and going to battle with these guys.”
