Bill Plaschke believes Lakers need to trade Austin Reaves to ‘get where they need to be’

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves enjoyed a breakout season in the 2024-25 campaign. After he spent the opening three seasons of his pro career oscillating between starting and bench roles, he started every one of the 73 games he played in during the regular season and averaged 20-plus points per contest for the first time as an NBA player.

He also proved to be quite the complementary piece to the Lakers’ star duo of guard Luka Doncic and forward LeBron James. Not counting big man Anthony Davis, who was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline, Reaves was Los Angeles’ third-leading scorer behind Doncic and James and averaged the third-most assists per game of any Laker as well.

However, even with Reaves on the heels of his best season as a pro, the Los Angeles Times‘ Bill Plaschke thinks the Lakers need to part ways with Reaves and trade him in order to “get where they need to be.”

“Austin Reaves is the Lakers’ breath of fresh air, a sharpshooting respite from all the drama and dirge, a stirring journey from undrafted to indefatigable,” Plaschke wrote. “My favorite, everybody’s favorite.

“But it’s time.

“If the Lakers are going to get where they need to be, they’ll have to get there without Austin Reaves. If the Lakers truly value the acquisition of a big man, they’re going to have to get rid of the little fella.

“Damn, I hate writing these next three words.

“Trade Austin Reaves.

“Send him packing in a deal that brings the Lakers the sort of lob partner and rim protector whose absence knocked you out of the postseason. Use him as the most attractive asset that could lure the sort of behemoth that could help this group bully their way back into contention.”

Reaves’ trade value might be at an all-time high after he enjoyed such a successful fourth season in the league, and the Lakers’ lack of talent at the center position was glaring in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

Not a single center saw significant playing time for Los Angeles in its series against guard Anthony Edwards and company. Jaxson Hayes started four of the five games of the series for the Lakers but averaged just 7.8 minutes per game and was not very impactful during his time on the floor.

Two Timberwolves centers in Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid had very productive performances against the Lakers, and they had no answers for them. Reid averaged 11.6 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range in a bench role, while Gobert nearly averaged a double-double with 8.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.

As much as it would seemingly pain some Lakers fans to see Reaves change teams, perhaps it would be in the best interest of the team to move him for a big man as Plaschke asserts.