Austin Reaves is playing out of his mind so far this season.
From cold-blooded 40+ scoring outings to clutch crunch time plays, the 6-foot-5 star has terrorized opponents with Luka Doncic and LeBron James sitting out due to separate injuries.
While many believe that Reaves is simply setting himself up for a massive payday with the Lakers next offseason, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale went out on a limb to suggest that Los Angeles could attempt to capitalize on Reaves’ stellar early-season by trading him to the Rockets for a former lottery pick.
"The Rockets have all sorts of goodies to include if they make a run at Reaves,” Favale wrote Thursday.
“Short of (Kevin) Durant, (Amen) Thompson, and Alperen Şengün, there may not be anyone who's off the table. Jabari Smith Jr. could prove to be an exception, since he just signed an extension and is subject to the poison pill provision. But that merely makes a trade harder—not impossible.”
“At any rate, Houston has other assets that would interest L.A., including Tari Eason and nine incoming first-round picks.”
Eason has already made significant strides in three-point shooting. The LSU product has always succeeded as a downhill player with solid touch around the rim. However, Eason’s commitment to gradually expanding his game has resulted in a stellar early-season showing from beyond the arc.
The 24-year-old is averaging 10.8 points per game on 50.0% from the field and 53.3% from downtown through four games, unsurprisingly turning heads in the process.
Although Eason still isn’t on Reaves’ level from a talent perspective, acquiring him along with valuable draft capital would allow the Lakers to possess a bright future in the post-James era in Los Angeles.
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