In 2021, Austin Reaves was an undrafted free agent who ended up signing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, he has become a solid rotational player and is currently averaging 10.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG for the Lakers.
Since he is one of the team’s best role players as of right now, it seems as though the Los Angeles Lakers will try to retain Austin Reaves in free agency. A recent report from Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports revealed that the Lakers are going to look into keeping the guard on the roster.
Los Angeles could clear just north of $30 million in space if the Lakers were to renounce Hachimura and other players’ rights, but the team is expected to also look to retain combo guard Austin Reaves. A dream scenario of signing or trading for a max-contract-level player just got a whole lot trickier.
There is no doubt that this is good news for Los Angeles Lakers fans. Austin Reaves has had a lot of good moments with the team and is extremely efficient offensively. Hopefully, we see him remain with the Lakers in the future.
The Lakers Could Still Make Another Trade Before The Deadline
The Los Angeles Lakers recently traded for Rui Hachimura, and there’s no doubt that this was a good move. However, they could improve further with another trade in the future. A previous report indicated that the team has already discussed a potential trade featuring Bojan Bogdanovic and Nerlens Noel.
I think it’s a mistake to view any potential trade as “championship-or-bust.” If that’s the standard for trading your picks, you’ll never make a deal. I don’t think there’s any single trade out there—now or in July—that will assure the Lakers of title contention. But the basic formula of LeBron + AD + shooters/quality role players at least gives you a chance at a meaningful playoff run. THAT is what they should be aiming for. And maybe that will be the case. I’ve heard the Lakers and Pistons have discussed a deal that would include both Bogdanović and Nerlens Noel. Since the Pistons are demanding draft assets in any deal for Bogdanović, it’s sort of a given that the Lakers would have to surrender a first-round pick to make a deal. Maybe they make a second deal to fortify the rotation further. Will they be willing to trade both picks that are currently trade-eligible? The sense around the league is they won’t. But we’ll see.
It remains to be seen what will end up happening before the trade deadline. It is clear that the Lakers have been active in trying to improve the roster, and it was notably reported that they have had discussions about a Russell Westbrook trade with the Spurs as well.
Hopefully, we see the Los Angeles Lakers find a way to improve in the future. Acquiring Rui Hachimura was a good start, but they can become even better in the future.
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