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4 hours ago
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The Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most surprising trades in recent memory earlier this season as they acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. While they gave away Anthony Davis and Max Christie in the deal, fans around the league were shocked to see that the Lakers were able to hang on to Austin Reaves.
The fourth-year guard was in the midst of a season where he took the next step individually. In 73 games, Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field, 37.7% from three-point range and 87.7% from the free-throw line.
Furthermore, he is on one of the most team-friendly deals in the NBA after re-signing with the Lakers on a four-year, $54 million deal ahead of the 2023-24 season. While Reaves is eligible for an extension this offseason, Bill Simmons believes he will be traded instead, according to comments shared by The Dunk Central.
"Bill Simmons predicts that the Lakers will trade Austin Reaves," The Dunk Central tweeted Monday. "When Reaves gets traded this summer -- and he WILL get traded -- the stuff they [Lakers] get back for him is gonna make it seem worse that they [Mavericks] didn't get him in the trade." (h/t @RTNBA)"
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Reaves is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth $89 million this offseason. If he opts to wait until next summer and opt out of his current contract, he would be able to sign a five-year deal max deal that would pay him $42.5 million annually.
While the 26-year-old has improved in each year of his career, he struggled in the postseason as the Lakers were bounced by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first-round. He averaged 16.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 0.2 spg and 0.6 bpg on 41.1/31.9/85.7 shooting splits.
Despite Reaves' production regardless of who is in the lineup, it is difficult to envision Los Angeles giving him and Doncic both max deals as their backcourt would be left with minimal defense. Additionally, he could be dangled as a trade chip to improve their roster elsewhere.
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