The Los Angeles Lakers' roster is in a very solid position right now after making some key offseason tweaks and upgrades. With all the changes that have come to this team in the last year, it feels like Austin Reaves is going to be a prime candidate to be traded in the upcoming season.
Let's consider for a second how the makeup of this Lakers team has shifted over the last calendar year. It's a pretty dramatic shift if you consider the big picture. At this time last year in September 2024, Anthony Davis was still a foundational piece for LA's mission of winning a championship.
Additionally, the Lakers had quite a few more guys that I would consider to be redundant in terms of their individual skills. It seems that they've now moved into a place where this team has a bit more of concrete, defined roles, which is what you should be aiming for when building a championship roster.
Obviously, [having Luka Doncic at the center of the equation](https://lakeshowlife.com/jeanie-buss-turned-lakers-fans-excitement-luka-doncic-up-11) is the biggest difference between this time last year and present day, with his addition being the biggest reason LA is on everyone's radar as a team that could very well go deep into the postseason in 2026. Having that kind of superstar on your side is always going to give you a fighting chance in the playoffs, but what it also does is create a little bit more roster overlap.
Austin Reaves might be more replaceable with Luka Doncic around
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This is where Reaves comes in. I can see a world where Luka and Austin still thrive together in the same backcourt, but I can also understand if it's a situation where Lakers management wants to step in and try to find a trade for number 15 due to his fit alongside Doncic.
Both are dynamic on-ball creators, but no one would question the idea that Luka is a couple of levels above Reaves. Then when you factor in the defensive side of things, it just makes Austin that much more of an obvious trade candidate.
The mission in Los Angeles right now is clearly to create the best possible squad around the All-NBA level talent of Luka Doncic. What that means is that no one is truly untouchable, and that goes for Austin Reaves [and yes, even LeBron James](https://lakeshowlife.com/lebron-james-leaving-lakers-season-becomes-more-likely-by-day) under the right circumstances.
I don't think the Lakers are going to enter this coming season thinking of ways they can get Reaves off their books. But I also believe they're going to be well aware of the favorable opportunities that are going to be out there to get a solid return for him, and how doing so might put them in a better spot.