Report: Lakers Won’t Trade Austin Reaves Unless They Can Acquire ‘Top-Tier Big’

According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Lakers won’t trade Austin Reaves unless they can acquire a “top-tier big.”

Reaves was the Lakers’ third-leading scorer this season behind Luka Doncic and LeBron James. 

“The team has shown no interest in using Reaves in a trade that nets them anything less than a top-tier big, and there really aren’t any of those available, with the two most common names linked to them in the earliest stages of the offseason — Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford,” Woike wrote. “Neither is a lock for a variety of reasons.”

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 Minnesota 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. 

The Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in five games. Reaves played through a serious toe injury. 

“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.