Austin Reaves has spent his whole NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, going from undrafted rookie to playoff starter. Year after year, he’s gotten better and more admired. But are we sure he’s going to be in LA much longer?
Reaves has outplayed his contract and is ready to get paid. He turned down a four-year, $89.2 million extension this offseason and will likely reject his player option next summer. That puts the Lakers in a tough spot if they can’t find the right number.
And now, the trade chatter begins. Should the Lakers choose not to meet Reaves’ price, they may look to deal him. Dean Simons of Sporting News mentioned the possibility of a deal with Sacramento for players like Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis.
“Los Angeles could benefit from welcoming a pair of solid shooters and capable defenders aboard in a hypothetical swap for Reaves, making Murray and Ellis potential targets.
If the Kings were to pursue a star point guard replacement in the aftermath of their decision to trade De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs this past season, Reaves might be a perfect candidate to fill that role.
For Los Angeles, the skilled 24-year-old Murray could mesh well within the team’s offensive system. In 76 appearances for the Kings in 2024-25, the former No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft averaged 12.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks
As for the 25-year-old Ellis, the undrafted 6-foot-6 shooting guard burst onto the scene with the Kings this past season, contributing 8.3 points and 1.5 steals while knocking down a blistering 43.3% of his attempts from three-point range.”
