The Los Angeles Lakers trading Austin Reaves this offseason is reportedly unlikely, per The Athletic and Stadium’s Shams Charania.
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On the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Charania noted new head coach JJ Redick’s affinity for Reaves and his desire to help him reach his full potential.
“I don’t see any scenario where they’re moving Austin Reaves this offseason,” Charania said. “If anyone’s seen the way JJ Redick has been glowing about Austin Reaves, JJ Redick wants Austin Reaves to really fulfill his potential. Whether that’s being an All-Star caliber player, whatever it is, he has high hopes for Austin Reaves.”
"JJ Redick has high hopes for Austin Reaves..
He wants him to really fulfill his potential"@ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/53LZXcK2IP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 27, 2024
Reaves continued to improve in his third NBA season last year, averaging 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
After going undrafted in 2021, Reaves has quickly become an integral part of the Lakers lineup. He started more than half of the Lakers regular season games and was the third leading scorer in Los Angeles’ first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, putting up 16.8 points per game.
After being introduced as head coach last week, Redick had high praise for Reaves on Tuesday.
“He’s excellent. I cannot wait to coach Austin,” Redick said. “One of the reasons I can’t wait to coach him is because of his competitive spirit. He has a real mental toughness and competitive approach every single night.”
“I cannot wait to coach Austin.” pic.twitter.com/CE4Kf3TVtD
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 25, 2024
Though Charania reported that it’s unlikely the Lakers will part with Reaves, the team reportedly would consider a trade, but at a very high asking price. Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha said on his podcast, Buha’s Block, that Los Angeles would only consider an All-Star in exchange for Reaves.
“The Lakers, by all indications, are not trying to trade Austin Reaves unless it is an All-Star-level guy,” Buha said (h/t Heavy Sports’ Austin Boyd). “… Even then, it seems like it’s a legit All-Star, not just a fringe All-Star type. They did not want to include him in a potential trade for Dejounte Murray at the deadline.”
The Lakers’ high asking price for Reaves speaks to how much they value him and his potential, so it seems like he will be playing in purple and gold next season.
