Austin Reaves has gained the status of the Lakers future since the last season went so well for the Arkansas native. The Los Angeles Lakers were desperate to retain him in free agency ahead of the current season. Later, the 17-time champions did keep him on the roster. However, he did not have a great start to the season. Neither Reaves nor the LA Lakers had a great start to the ongoing season. Moreover, the LA side has lost six and won six in the 2023-24 season so far. On top of that, a lot of injuries have already hit Darvin Ham’s side hard.
Many key players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and Jalen Hood-Schifino are out for several games with injuries. Moreover, Anthony Davis sustained a hip injury lately, but he did play against the Sacramento Kings. Albeit, the Kings blew the Lakers apart. After their 6th loss this season, Rob Pelinka and his front office are busy making plans to deal with the Chicago Bulls. There’s a chance the Lakers might sign Zach LaVine. But they won’t trade Austin Reaves for LaVine.
Lakers Would Never Think About Trading Austin Reaves For LaVine
As per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers are really keen on signing LaVine. Ever since the Bulls showed interest in a trade, the LA front office has been a step ahead of the rest to sign a deal. But Jovan Buha mentioned the Lakers-Bulls deal with center around D’Angelo Russell. Besides Russell, the LA side can trade Rui Hachimura or Gabe Vincent along with first-round picks of 2029 and 2030. For acquiring Zach LaVine, the Lakers need to match the salary potentially with protections as per Buha.
That’s the reason why the LA side can trade D’Lo, Rui, or Gabe and another additional player, along with first-round picks of 2029 or 2030. But the Lakers would never trade Austin Reaves, who is apparently the future of the LA side in the post-LeBron James era. Hence, after James retires, the onus to lead the side will fall upon Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis. Moreover, AD and AR are like untouchables for trade talks. It is a no-brainer for the Lakers at present. But the front office would look for results. Can Reaves and Davis help the Lakers win another title with the all-time leading scorer?
AR Impressed Everybody Last Season
Anyway, the Oklahoma Sooners kid became a fan favorite after he showed tremendous consistency last season. He impressed everybody. The LA side’s GM, Mr. Rob Pelinka, mentioned during the training camp that AR has got that same “Mamba mentality.” Any team would be lucky to have him.
Moreover, Austin Reaves proved to be the best player in Team USA in the last FIBA World Cup. However, the former Laker Dennis Schroder won the MVP of the previous World Cup. But Austin Reaves has become the third most valuable player in the Lakers dressing room. Hence, the Lakers Nation would hope to see their favorite son play like that in the current season.
