Austin Reaves Basketball Cards Explode in Value as His Role Grows on the Lakers

Austin Reaves has started his season with a bang, and NBA fans aren’t the only ones taking notice. Sports card collectors have been buying his cards at surprising prices as the Lakers’ breakout star opens the season averaging an incredible 31 points and 9 assists, up nearly 11 points and 4 assists from last year. Just take a look at this chart from Card Ladder, a popular platform for tracking trading card values, showing the rise in Austin Reaves’ card prices over the past month.

Austin Reaves Card Prices — https://app.cardladder.com/players/Austin%20Reaves

The last time his Rookie Silver Prizm in a PSA 9 sold at auction was on October 6, closing at just $20. Fast forward to today, and that same card is now worth between $60 and $70, a massive jump in only a few weeks. Now interestingly enough, that Reaves’ Rookie Silver Prizm has a relatively low graded population compared to many other Silver Prizms, with just 236 PSA 9s and 85 PSA 10s, numbers that are sure to change, should he continue his dominance. That said, his entire card market seems to be flying high, and there’s little sign of it slowing anytime soon.

Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic Card Values — Austin Reaves and fellow Lakers star Luka Doncic Rookie Silver Prizm values and population comparison | https://app.cardladder.com/compare

In terms of whether these prices can be sustained or even increase, in the long run, things are a bit more complex than they appear. A big part of Austin Reaves’ hot start is due to his recent stretch with both LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined. It’s reasonable to assume that once they’re back in the lineup, his usage and numbers will settle closer to what we’re used to seeing from him. And since it’s still early in the season, plenty of players are posting inflated stats before things balance out.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James — Mar 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) react after a play during the first quarter against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

On the other hand, Reaves is entering the final year of his contract, and if the Lakers were to trade him, or if he signs elsewhere where he becomes a primary scorer, his current production might not be such an outlier. On top of that, his cards remain relatively affordable compared to other stars, so for collectors with some cash to spare, picking up a few key Reaves cards might not be a bad play. Either way, hobbyists are watching closely, and only time will tell how high his market can climb.