The Los Angeles Lakers are an interesting spot in the offseason as they look to reshape their roster.
After a first round playoff exit, the LA Lakers have to retool for the 2025/26 season. And one of the key challenges is trying to do so, while holding onto their top assets.
While LeBron James and Luka Doncic will return, there is a little question mark over whether the Lakers could choose to trade away Austin Reaves.
Reaves has a player option in 2026, when he will become eligible for a big extension, prompting debate over whether the Lakers should try to trade him now, knowing they might not be able to afford to pay him later on.
One former player believes Reaves cannot play effectively with Luka Doncic, but this is a notion the 27-year-old will be keen to disprove.
Austin Reaves rise to the top
Austin Reaves has come a long way. His playoff performances were disappointing, but a few months ago, he was being talked about as ‘the best third option in the NBA’ on multiple TV shows and podcasts.
Reaves was signed by the Lakers as an undrafted pick, and he has had to battle to prove himself.
An interesting comparison was made at the start of his career, where his game was compared to current teammate Luka Doncic.
Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel was quoted via The Guardian: “We were very high on him… I was remarkable how well he played. I remember thinking he was a smaller, a poor man’s Luka, with the way he played in pick and roll.
Underlining that he meant his words as a compliment, Vogel added: “It was that impressive to me.”
Nobody, Vogel, Reaves or Doncic, could have expected that the two players would be teaming up on the Lakers in 2025, with JJ Redick as head coach.
But that was exactly what happened when the Dallas Mavericks made their bizarre decision to trade Doncic away midseason.
Luka Doncic was stunned Austin Reaves went undrafted
On the court, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves worked effectively as a trio with LeBron James, but came unstuck in the playoffs.
But this was less about them, and more about the team’s size deficiencies, lacking a true center.
Speaking earlier this year, Doncic expressed admiration for Austin Reaves’ talent, commenting that he could not believe that he was not selected in the NBA Draft.
“For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It’s not easy to go undrafted and play at this level and it’s amazing just to be by his side.”
While Reaves’ contract is a dilemma for the Lakers, and he is their top trade asset, there has to be a temptation for the team to keep him put, and allow him to develop his game alongside Doncic for a full season.
