The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t done a whole lot this NBA offseason, and their championship chances seem rather bleak as a result.
It doesn’t help that the Lakers don’t exactly have a great financial situation, and their trade assets are questionable, at best.
In order for Los Angeles to make a significant trade, Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz feel the team may have to trade young wing Austin Reaves.
Reaves has established himself as a fan favorite in LA and has been a pleasant surprise for the Lakers the past couple of years.
The 26-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2022-23, averaging 13 points, 3.4 assists and three rebounds over 28.8 minutes per game on 52.9/39.8/86.4 shooting splits.
NBA RUMORS & NEWS: Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Reaves was a bit of a disappointment last season, as he registered 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds across 32.1 minutes a night while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line.
However, he was still solid, and at his age, he represents a valuable trade chip.
The problem with Reaves is that he is not a terrific centerpiece in a trade package.
He is unquestionably solid and should absolutely draw interest from rival teams, but outside of Rui Hachimura, the Lakers don’t really have a whole lot else to add.
It’s going to be hard for Los Angeles to put a genuine title-contending team together with LeBron James turning 40 years old in December and Anthony Davis being injury prone.
NBA RUMORS & NEWS: Los Angeles Lakers Updates
That being said, given the fact that the Lakers may only have a one-year window with James, they may have no choice but to pull out all the stops heading into the 2024-25 season.
We’ll see what tricks the Lakers have up their sleeves.
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