Lakers Fans Debate Whether They'd Trade Austin Reaves For Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has been the subject of trade rumors for years now, but no deal appears to have ever come close to materializing. With Markkanen shining at EuroBasket 2025, there has again been some chatter about him being on his way out, and a Los Angeles Lakers fan account on X asked fans if they would trade Austin Reaves for him.

"Ridiculous... No way. Reaves is untouchable," a fan thinks Reaves should be off limits in any trade.

"Yes, without hesitation. 6’11 movement without the ball style 3-point shooter fits Luka Doncic better than a 2-Guard who wants to draw fouls off the dribble," another fan would trade Reaves without hesitation.

"Yes, but I don't think the Jazz would take that offer; they would want more. Imo, I would 100% do this and not think twice," one fan would do this deal but believes the Jazz wouldn't agree to it.

"There’s a ~$40M difference in salaries this season. The Lakers would have to give up way more (4-5 players) to match salaries. And even if it was just a 1 for 2 swap, I wouldn’t do it," a fan pointed out the salary element here.

"Lauri has a massive contract; if it wasn’t for that, then this would be an absolute no-brainer. Even with the big contract, I think this is a needed upgrade," another fan would do the deal despite the difference in salaries complicating matters.

The contracts definitely make this a tough deal to execute. Markkanen will earn $46.4 million in 2025-26 compared to $13.9 million for Reaves. That means the Lakers will have to include more players in the deal, and the likes of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber, and Jarred Vanderbilt would be the likely candidates.

The Jazz might be willing to take on Vincent and Kleber as they are entering the final year of their deals. Vanderbilt, though, still has two years and a player option left on his contract, and no team would be all too keen on acquiring him at the moment.

As for Hachimura, the Lakers themselves might not be interested in packaging him and Reaves in a deal for Markkanen. So, it won't be easy to make this trade. If there were a pathway, though, should the Lakers go ahead? Well, there are pros and cons here.

Markkanen struggled in the 2024-25 season, averaging 19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Jazz. He also shot a career-worst 42.3% from the field, which gives you cause for pause. With how well he'd played the two seasons before this last one, though, there is reason to believe this was an aberration.

Markkanen put up 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc for the Jazz from 2022-23 to 2023-24. The 28-year-old has also been on fire for Finland at EuroBasket, averaging 29.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 40.7% from three. His shooting makes him a solid fit next to Luka Doncic offensively, and the Lakers certainly could do with his rebounding prowess as well.

A potential problem, though, is that Markkanen isn't a good defender. The Lakers struggled defensively against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, and they'd likely be giving up one of their better defenders in Vincent in this deal as well. So, they'd be significantly weaker on the defensive end if they pull the trigger.

Markkanen's contract is a massive one as well as he is entering the first year of his four-year, $195 million deal. One could argue that the one-time All-Star isn't worth having on that kind of contract with the apron rules that exist today.

Reaves is also in line for a big payday soon, as he is set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026 by declining his player option, but his contract isn't going to be as big as Markkanen's. The 27-year-old is expected to get a deal worth over $30 million a year, which is more manageable.

Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. He has improved year after year and has expressed a desire to be a Laker for life, but it will be interesting to see how negotiations pan out between the two sides next summer.