There have been some question marks about what the Los Angeles Lakers might do with Austin Reaves moving forward, following the acquisition of Luka Doncic in a blockbuster deal with the Dallas Mavericks a few months ago.
However, while Reaves and Doncic aren't the cleanest fits on either side of the basketball, the Lakers seem to have an outstanding player in the young Reaves.
If they eventually look to move on from him, there will be many teams interested in the Oklahoma product. That could even be the New York Knicks, with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix recently linking the two sides to a potential trade.
"I might look at a team like New York, that has Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, three-and-d types of guys," Mannix said. "The Knicks under Mike Brown, looking to become more diverse offensively, maybe they'd be interested in something like that."
The Knicks moving on from Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby for Reaves wouldn't make much sense, unless they were to move on from Bridges to avoid paying him.
MORE: Knicks added coach to Mike Brown's staff with Mikal Bridges' ties
However, they’d also have to give Reaves a deal when he hits the open market, which many expect to be next season, as he has a player option after the 2025-26 campaign.
Anunoby is clearly the better player, perhaps the best 3-and-D wing defender in the NBA, so unless there are plenty of other assets, which the Lakers don't have, it shouldn't even be a conversation from the Knicks’ standpoint.
Something else could be done to make both sides happy, as Reaves would be a decent addition for a Knicks squad that could use some more youth and offensive playmaking, but not for either wing.