Los Angeles Lakers Trade Austin Reaves, Other Assets for $215 Million Star in Wild Proposal

Fortunately, L.A. was able to gain a playoff spot after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament. However, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets proved to be too much for them as a repeat of last year’s postseason showdown happened with the Lakers going home. As a result, Darvin Ham was let go as the team’s head coach and the front office is scouring for ways to improve the team while keeping James in the lineup.

But outside of James and Anthony Davis, the only real asset L.A. has is Austin Reaves. In his third year in the league, the Lakers guard averaged 15.9 points on 36 percent shooting from deep, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. However, he wasn’t much of a factor for the team in their recent loss to Jokic’s Nuggets in the first round.

Los Angeles Lakers Trade Austin Reaves For Trae Young In Wild Proposal

As the offseason goes on for L.A., a couple of trade ideas have now surfaced and most of them involve Reaves. In an article Grant Hughes wrote for Bleacher Report, a proposal exchanging Reaves and other assets for Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is gaining traction.

“Atlanta isn’t facing a financial imperative to move Young, but GM Landry Fields seems convinced that the Young-Murray backcourt isn’t working. He may have even hurt his team’s trade leverage by broadcasting that belief.

For the Lakers, this is a pure star play. LeBron James and Anthony Davis need two-way support pieces more than anything else, but Young has had multiple seasons in which he’s rated among the league’s most effective offensive forces. His potential impact on L.A.’s offense, and his ability to create easy looks for James and Davis, could pay off in a big way,” Hughes wrote.

While adding more star power to the lineup may seem like a solution, depleting the roster may not work in L.A.’s favor. On the other hand, the Hawks may possibly get a haul that can be used to get better stars or role players to surround around Dejounte Murray, especially with the number one pick in their possession.

It remains to be seen what the Lakers will do in the offseason and whether Austin Reaves is part of their plan. In any case, fans of both teams must keep an eye out on what their respective front offices are going to do in the coming months.