Lakers Predicted to Ditch Austin Reaves For $163M Star Guard

Despite a demonstrative blowout victory over the mighty Boston Celtics (who were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, it should be noted) on Thursday night and wins in four of their last five games, the 24-18 Los Angeles Lakers hardly look like the class of the Western Conference.

While talented, deep young clubs like the 29-14 Houston Rockets and the 29-15 Memphis Grizzlies are widely unproven, both have the size and athleticism to theoretically give L.A. problems in a playoff matchup. And everyone looks to be a tier below the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, who are a stunning 36-8 on the year.

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So what can the Lakers do to level up?

Los Angeles team president Rob Pelinka may not like it, but if he really wants to take a leap, he may have to ditch the Lakers' third-best player.

That'd be starting point guard Austin Reaves, in the midst of his best season yet as a pro.

The 6-foot-5 Reaves, 26, is averaging 18.3 points while slashing .440/.362/.841, 6.1 dimes, 4.1 boards and 1.1 steals a night. He's on one of the best contracts in the entire NBA, making just $13 million this season.

The Oklahoma product is under contract through 2026-27, although the final year of his deal is a $14.9 million player option. Reaves is probably worth at least double that money if not more, and could earn something closer to that amount should he reach unrestricted free agency.

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Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox is the kind of ceiling-raising young star who could both potentially be attainable for Los Angeles — because he has been vocal about not signing an extension agreement with his current club — and make a real impact.

Could Lakers All-Stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus Fox, form a new championship-caliber core? And what would a deal look like?

Lakers Receive: Austin Reaves, two future first round picks, two future pick swaps, one second rounder

Kings Receive: De'Aaron Fox, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino

Fox is on his rookie-scale maximum deal for another season, but because of his relative youth, that maximum in 2024-25 is a fairly affordable $34.8 million, which makes him easier to acquire than, say, Jimmy Butler.

Although Fox, unlike James, missed out on being named an All-Star starter on Thursday, both he and Sabonis have legitimate cases to be named to the Western Conference's seven-man All-Star bench.

Reaves is a great player, especially for his price, but he's not De'Aaron Fox.

So that De'Aaron Fox guy is pretty good, huh pic.twitter.com/P1wQo9LO6I
— Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) December 9, 2024

On the year for the 23-21 Kings, Fox is averaging 25.4 points on.470/.317/.823 shooting splits, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a night across 41 healthy contests.

Although that 31.7 percent 3-point rate on 6.3 triple tries a night is far from ideal, Fox converted his 7.8 long range looks per bout on 36.9 percent last season. So it is at least attainable.

One potential ailment for the shooting issues is apparent injuries to both hands, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. In his left shooting hand, the young Kentucky southpaw has been dealing with a pinky ailment all year.

De'Aaron Fox is clearly dealing with an injury to his right hand as well as the left pinky injury he's had all season. Looks like his thumb maybe. Hard to tell from where I'm sitting.
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) January 24, 2025

Assuming he can return to that efficacy, Los Angeles could survive a Reaves loss, while gaining one of the league's elite scoring guards.

Does this reporter think the Lakers will make this move? No.

We've seen how reticent Pelinka has been to make any major trades since he made a flurry of 2023 moves to get off the contracts of Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn. When he flipped D'Angelo Russell's expiring deal, some second rounders, and Maxwell Lewis for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, it marked the first time in nearly two years Pelinka had made any kind of trade at all.

The addition of Finney-Smith (Milton is not a consistent part of JJ Redick's rotation) has helped shore up the Lakers' wing defense without losing its 3-point shooting, although the exit of Russell did cost Los Angeles some playmaking.

A blockbuster deal for one of the league's best point guards is the move you make when you think you can compete for titles. It's unclear if Pelinka has that expectation for the Lakers this year.

L.A.'s starting five in this hypothetical would look pretty major: Fox at the point, Max Christie at shooting guard, Rui Hachimura at small forward, James at power forward, and Davis at center. Finney-Smith would be the first man off the bench once again, while Dalton Knecht and Milton would play bigger roles in Redick's rotation.

Someone between Jaxson Hayes, Christian Wood (if he's ever healthy this year), and two-way players Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison would have to step up and serve as Davis' backup at center. Los Angeles would probably make an additional move for more bench depth or sign a buyout piece.

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