Report: Lakers’ Austin Reaves Recovering From Serious Injury

According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is still recovering from a serious toe injury. 

Reaves wasn’t healthy during the 2025 playoffs. The Lakers, despite having Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Doncic, lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in five games. 

“Yet according to people with knowledge of the situation, Reaves is still recovering from a serious toe sprain (though it’s improving and not expected to require surgery). And it’s not like the big moments have always brought out the worst of him as he helped build his reputation in the organization with the way he played in the Lakers’ biggest games,” Woike wrote. 

Reaves played well for the Lakers during the regular season. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 73 games while shooting 46.0% from the field, 37.7% from 3 and 87.7% from the foul line. 

However, Reaves’ numbers went down in the Timberwolves series. The undrafted guard averaged 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 41.1% overall, 31.9% from 3 and 85.7% from the foul line. 

Some believe the Lakers should trade Reaves this summer to acquire more defenders and big men for James and Doncic. Here’s what Woike is hearing on that front: 

“One, the Lakers and the most important people in the organization all love Reaves and his journey from undrafted free agent to a talent that people think is All-Star caliber. And, at just $14 million next season, he’ll be one of the most productive players in the league per dollar minus some superstars on the very early stages of their rookie deals,” Woike wrote. 

“Two, he’s not viewed as untradeable because almost no one in the NBA is untradeable. But if the Lakers are going to trade him for a center, they’re going to want one that is foundationally important — a build-around type and not a fill-in toward the obvious need they have at center (and will need to address in other ways). If one of the best centers in the NBA were available, the conversations might be different, but at least now, during the first part of the offseason, that just isn’t the case.”