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The Los Angeles Lakers' midseason trade for Luka Doncic shook up the team in more ways than one. While improving the Lakers' short-term outlook, the trade now has Austin Reaves in a peculiar position in the trade market.
Despite acquiring Doncic, the Lakers still failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs. Their roster has clear needs to address that can only be solved by moving Reaves, according to Bill Simmons.
“When Reaves gets traded this summer — and he will get traded — the stuff they get back for him is going to make it seem even worse [the Mavericks] didn't get him in the [Luka Doncic trade],” Simmons said on The Bill Simmons Podcast.
Lakers fans adore Reaves, but Simmons sees him as the team's only real trade asset. With a player option in the 2026-2027 season, Reaves is also due for a pay raise that Los Angeles cannot afford to give him with LeBron James and Doncic owed nearly $100 million total in 2025-2026.
Austin Reaves is as good as gone this offseason…
…if you believe Bill Simmons.
"When Reaves gets traded this summer, and he will get traded, the stuff (the Lakers) get back for him is gonna make it seem worse that (the Mavs) didn't get him in the trade," Simmons said on his… pic.twitter.com/TN62QSAXW8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 20, 2025
As James indirectly stated, the team desperately needs to add a competent center to the mix. Reaves is the Lakers' only player, besides James and Doncic, for whom any rival organization would be willing to relinquish a starting center.
Lakers, Austin Reaves' future salary negotiation
The Lakers currently have 11 players under contract through the 2025-2026 season, allowing them to run it back with Doncic for a full season. However, they only have three players contracted beyond that season, making the 2026 offseason one to watch with the team.
Beyond the 2025-2026 season, Los Angeles only has Jarred Vanderbilt, Shake Milton, and Bronny James guaranteed on its books. Doncic and Reaves have player options for that season with Dalton Knecht on a $4 million team option.
With Reaves due only $14 million in 2026-2027, he is all but guaranteed to opt out and renegotiate his terms. At that point, the Lakers would have to compete with any team willing to give him north of $20 million per season.
With LeBron James taking a year-by-year approach, the Lakers might be able to afford Reaves in the 2026 offseason. However, his play style is noticeably too similar to that of Doncic to give any hope that they can thrive together. Regardless of James' eventual decision, Los Angeles appears in a position to either trade Reaves or lose him for nothing.
