The Los Angeles Lakers finished out their 2024-25 NBA season in disappointing fashion. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers were quickly eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in just five games.
Rob Pelinka and company are heading into a pivotal offseason. He will need to figure out how to build a team around LeBron James and Luka Doncic that can win at the highest level. A lot of work will need to be done.
In order to build that roster, there has been speculation that Austin Reaves may become a potential trade chip.
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Reaves put together the strongest season of his young NBA career. He was a great running mate alongside of James and Doncic. Right now, his value is at an all-time high.
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While the rumors have been swirling, trading Reaves would be a very difficult decision. He is just 26 years old with more room to grow and develop his game.
His agent has now spoken out with a fiery response to the rumors swirling around Reaves.
Aaron Reilly of AMR Agency made a social media post with a blunt statement in response to the rumblings.
“Next year is going to be a show,” Reilly wrote. “People really have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers.”
Throughout the course of the 2024-25 NBA season, Reaves played in 73 games. He averaged 20.2 points per game to go along with 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. In addition, he shot 46 percent from the floor and 37.7 percent from the three-point line.
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Should he be made available, there would be a lot of teams across the NBA with interest.
Back in early May, Pelinka spoke out with a strong statement about Reaves’ future in Los Angeles. As shared by Don Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Pelinka referred to the talented guard as a “pillar” of the organization along with James and Doncic.
Those are not the kind of comments one would expect to hear from an executive who plans to trade a player. Fans should expect to see Reaves back on the Lakers during the 2025-26 season unless a chance comes up to acquire a superstar.
Instead, it’s likely that Los Angeles wants to see Reaves continue developing even more and becoming part of the long-term fix by becoming a better player himself.
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