Teams around the NBA want Austin Reaves, but the Los Angeles Lakers won't budge. It's been the story of the Rob Pelinka era, as the player he signed as an undrafted free agent has become Los Angeles' greatest bargaining chip at a time when there's no interest in moving him.
As the Lakers enter into a new era with Luka Doncic at the helm, Pelinka is doubling down on his commitment to Reaves—unless the unlikeliest of offers appears.
Los Angeles will enter the 2025 offseason in pursuit of an upgrade at center. Veterans and unproven up-and-comers with upside will hit free agency, but many suspect that the Lakers will need to turn to the trade market for a meaningful improvement.
According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, the Lakers will not include Reaves in any potential negotiations unless it nets them a top-tier center.
“The team has shown no interest in using Reaves in a trade that nets them anything less than a top-tier big, and there really aren’t any of those available, with the two most common names linked to them in the earliest stages of the offseason — Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford.”
This is an entirely fair stance on Pelinka's behalf, but it also leaves Los Angeles in line to struggle yet again to find an ideal center.
Lakers won't trade Austin Reaves unless it's for "a top-tier center"
Los Angeles has committed to a formula that brought the Dallas Mavericks resounding success. It first yielded intriguing results in 2021-22, when Dallas reached the Western Conference Finals behind the efforts of the backcourt pairing of Doncic and Jalen Brunson.
It continued in 2023-24, when the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals as Doncic and Kyrie Irving tormented opposing defenses.
The hope appears to be that Doncic and Reaves can be the next dynamic backcourt duo to find success at the highest level. It's a fair ambition considering Reaves is coming off of the best year of his NBA career, during which he averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made on .460/.377/.877 shooting.
In the process, he increased his averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and three-point field goals made per game for a third consecutive season.
That type of sustained growth is difficult to ignore when deliberating between trading a player and investing in their future. As such, blaming Pelinka for being reluctant to trade Reaves has never been harder to justify.
The unfortunate truth emerging from this report, however, is that Los Angeles still needs a center—and Pelinka's complacent approach to finding an upgrade has cost the team dearly.
Anthony Davis all but pleaded with Pelinka to improve the depth at center in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Pelinka attempted to do so, but only after moving Davis. Moreover, he attempted to fill the void once the trade deadline was so close that a failed physical destroyed anything that even slightly resembled the presence of a starting-caliber big.
With the offseason nearing and Los Angeles operating with limited resources, it seems the pursuit will continue—without Reaves included in an offer for anyone below the All-Star line.
It's a logical choice, but it once again leaves Los Angeles relying on limited resources to make a crucial improvement.
