Following the NBA trade deadline, Jaxson Hayes was left as the lone playable big man on the Los Angeles Lakers. Even that did not last throughout the remainder of the season.
Hayes quickly became unplayable in the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, forcing JJ Redick to shift Dorian Finney-Smith into the starting lineup, leaving the Lakers with next to no big man minutes in the process. The situation was not ideal.
Neither was the series performance from Austin Reaves. The Lakers guard finished the first round averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, during 39.4 minutes per game. The shooting splits of 41-32-86 were far from what was necessary of Reaves.
With a critical decision looming on the future of Reaves with the Lakers, and a desperate need at center, Rob Pelinka can kill two birds with one stone this offseason. That path involves making an unpopular, costly, but worthwhile decision in the process.
Pursuit of an elite big man must involve Reaves
Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times delivered a report recently that stated what many should have already known. It will take a lot for the Lakers to truly consider moving Reaves.
"The team has shown no interest in using Reaves in a trade that nets them anything less than a top-tier big, and there really aren’t any of those available," Woike wrote.
The Lakers beat writer brings up a strong point about the current lack of availability regarding elite centers that are worth the team's time. However, the offseason tends to move quickly and that can change in the blink of an eye.
A dream scenario for Los Angeles would be having a name like Bam Adebayo quietly become available. There are few centers who would be more fascinating trade targets for the Lakers than the Miami Heat center.
Adebayo experienced a bit of a down year in 2024-25. The Heat center averaged his lowest points per game (18.1) since the 2019-20 season, while shooting the lowest field goal percentage of his career.
A lot of that can be attributed to the increased volume from beyond the arc. Adebayo shot a career high 2.8 attempts from 3-point land in 2024-25.
The perfect storm for the Lakers would be Miami finally getting tired of the mediocrity brought to them by 'Heat Culture' and pursuing some significant changes this offseason. Adebayo would immediately jump near the top of the trade targets list for Los Angeles in that case.
Acquiring a talented two-way center like Bam would certainly carry a considerable price tag, one that would involve Reaves. With the Lakers' limited asset pool, there would not be much choice but to include the talented offensive guard.
However, if a scenario like this presented itself, would that really be such a bad thing? Being forced to include Reaves would be a tough pill to swallow, but it would not be nearly as tough as seeing him walk for nothing in a couple of seasons as the rising star pursues a better contract in free agency.
Any trade for Reaves would need to include a considerable return to be worth Pelinka's time. If it does, and the scenario resembles something like the one above, the Lakers would be wise to not hesitate.