Austin Reaves hopes to return to the lineup on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena.

Reaves has missed the past 16 games with a hamstring injury. Excluding Rui Hachimura (who has played six games in Los Angeles), the sophomore wing is second on the Lakers in plus/minus, trailing only LeBron James. Reaves expressed optimism about his return in a session with reporters after Lakers practice on Monday — his first time speaking to Lakers media since the injury.

Reaves also addressed the recent swell of trade rumors and his inclusion in pre-deadline buzz. The Brooklyn Nets reportedly asked for Reaves and Lakers rookie Max Christie in addition to multiple draft picks for Kyrie Irving. The Lakers declined. Reaves said he was grateful to be valued by the franchise.

“What I was told from basically Day 1 of coming into the league is it's a business and everybody wants to work to get better,” said Reaves. “So you gotta think about it that way. So you see your name in something — it's not real 'til it happens, so that was really my mindset. But seeing the stuff about the Lakers not wanting to add me and stuff — it means a lot. I want to be here. I want to be a part of what we got going on. I want to be here.”

Reaves is averaging 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 28.9 minutes per game in 2022-23. He's shooting 48.8% from the field, 36% from three, and 89.6% from the free-throw line. The 24-year-old has become a crunch-time staple for the Lakers due to his basketball IQ, shooting, and two-way capabilities.

The Lakers are 25-29 and 13th in the Western Conference standings, though they're only four games out of the No. 4 seed. LeBron said Monday that he believes, when fully healthy, the Lakers can make a playoff run.