Should the Los Angeles Lakers trade Austin Reaves? Amid a pivotal offseason for a Los Angeles Lakers team that was shifting to the Luka Doncic era, that was a crucial question floated for the future of the franchise. Rob Pelinka definitively did not budge.
There was plenty of doubt cast on Reaves. Would the Lakers guard be a good long-term fit next to Doncic in the backcourt? After years of saving on his contract value, how much would paying up hurt? Was AR a flight risk, to any capacity, in 2026 free agency?
All of that, and more, piled up quickly. Pelinka, for his part, never truly appeared as a man who was going to entertain the idea. With just over a month of the 2025-26 NBA season having been played, the Lakers president was more than right in standing firm on keeping Reaves in Los Angeles.
Early-season returns prove Lakers were right to bet on Austin Reaves
The Lakers have watched Reaves grow every single season in Los Angeles. 2025-26 has undoubtedly been the most jaw-dropping leap for the 27-year-old.
Reaves was asked to step in as the second option when LeBron James was out. That is now a role the talented offensive guard may permanently keep as James has been content to settle in as the third star behind his dynamic duo in the backcourt following his return.
With the incredible amount of mileage on James' body, who can blame him? LeBron had been trying to pass the torch to Anthony Davis for years. With Doncic and Reaves, the aging superstar can properly preserve his body for the postseason.
Reaves warrants that kind of respect right now. With the highest usage percentage of his career in 2025-26, the Lakers guard has delivered career bests in points per game, assists per game, free throw attempts per game, and several other categories.
Reaves has played the part of a very legitimate offense engine. The most impressive component of that may just be how malleable he has been overall.
Amid the best season of his career, the Lakers continue to get every possible reassurance that Reaves wants to be in Los Angeles for the long haul. Marc Stein reported earlier in the month that other teams are interested, but that feeling has not been mutual.
"There is no sense at this point that Austin Reaves is looking anywhere else," Stein said during an appearance on the ALL NBA Podcast.
Reaves and the Lakers look like a pairing that is built to last. Conversations about trading the star guard are just not going to be taken very seriously from here.