The Los Angeles Lakers have two options to explore moving forward.
While injuries have drastically affected the franchise’s starting lineup, they’ve managed to remain above.500 through five games.
The Lakers’ history-making 27-year-old guard, Austin Reaves, should receive most of the credit for Los Angeles encouraging start to the year, as he’s been on a heater lately.
With Reaves playing at an extraordinarily high level (he's the first Laker to notch 92 combined points in back-to-back games), the Lakers could either retain the Oklahoma product and provide him with a well-earned contract extension in the summer or trade him before the deadline and acquire a franchise-elevating asset in return.
NESN’s Collin Keane has decided he’s going with the latter.
“As the Los Angeles Lakers navigate the early stages of the 2025-26 NBA season, Austin Reaves has emerged as an undeniable star, posting gaudy numbers while LeBron James, and more recently, Luka Doncic, have missed time with injuries,” Keane wrote Thursday.
“AR’s surge has raised a compelling question for some: should the Lakers consider trading Reaves now, while his value is at an all-time high?”
“On one hand, cashing in on Reaves’ inflated value could provide the Lakers with draft picks, young prospects, or even a direct swap for a defensive anchor like Myles Turner or Walker Kessler, addressing the void left by Davis’ departure.”
Trading Reaves for Turner or Kessler would give the Lakers the one-two frontcourt punch they’ve been missing for years.
Jaxson Hayes is a talented pick-and-roll threat who plays well alongside Luka Doncic. Still, Deandre Ayton would be better served sharing the frontcourt with a top-5 shot blocker or a versatile big man like Turner, with recent NBA Finals experience.
From Reaves’ perspective, the undrafted star guard would likely get a chance to be a top-2 scoring option full-time and make the Lakers regret moving on from him after less than five seasons.
What’s the most likely scenario for Reaves and the Lakers this season? With Reaves continuing to impress Los Angeles and making a convincing case to stick around for the foreseeable future, there’s a good chance the Lakers won’t feature him in a trade anytime soon.
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