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59 minutes ago
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The Los Angeles Lakers could lose two of their three stars this summer.
Of course, Luka Doncic isn’t going anywhere, as the Lakers are all-in on building a well-rounded, championship-contending roster around the former Dallas Mavericks standout point guard. However, LeBron James is arguably the biggest wild card on Los Angeles’ roster, and there are several different avenues the 41-year-old four-time NBA champion could explore in the offseason.
Additionally, 27-year-old established star Austin Reaves could be on the move if he receives a game-changing free agent offer. Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey tabbed the Detroit Pistons as a ‘surprising’ landing spot for the 23.3 points per game scorer.
“The chances of Austin Reaves leaving the Los Angeles Lakers are slim,” Bailey wrote Sunday. “They have his Bird rights, meaning they can sign him to a bigger deal than most suitors. And with LeBron James potentially leaving this summer, Reaves' secondary creation next to Luka Doncic will be even more important.”
“But the Detroit Pistons may need his services even more than L.A., and they can get to over $40 million in cap space if they decline some smaller team options and renounce the free agency rights to Duncan Robinson and Paul Reed.”
“Both of those players offer real value to the rotation, but Reaves can replace a lot of the shooting provided by Robinson, while also being able to take ball-handling pressure off of Cade Cunningham.”
“Detroit would have to nail the rest of the offseason with minimum and cap exceptions, but a top two of Cunningham and Reaves would be far more dangerous than the one it had this season.”
Detroit did everything right during the regular season. After nearly defeating the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, the Pistons entered this season with high expectations. It’s safe to say the three-time NBA champions delivered the goods, as they finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference (60-22).
However, the final game of Detroit’s second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers made one thing clear: the organization must surround Cunningham with another high-level shot creator/maker who thrives in late-game situations (they struggled mightily offensively in a 125-94 Game 7 loss to the Cavaliers).
Reaves does just that, in the regular season anyway, as the Oklahoma product routinely made big-time plays as a high-usage contributor, whether or not Doncic was on the floor beside him (he suffered multiple injuries throughout the year).
The next step for Reaves is becoming a reliable postseason performer. The undrafted 6-foot-5 guard could ultimately find his playoff footing with a new franchise/opportunity. Perhaps Detroit will be the organization to provide him with that.
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