No one expected Luka Dončić to finish the 2024-25 NBA season playing alongside LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, including the majority of the Lakers’ front office.
The Lakers’ blueprint prior to the biggest trade in NBA history was likely to focus on the present by competing with a “Big 3” of James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves. Dončić joining the team was fantastic for the organization’s future, but it’s also rather worrying for Reaves and his future in L.A.
Dončić essentially does everything Reaves does on the offensive end, but better. It means that Reaves could go on the trade block in hopes of the Lakers making moves to bolster their frontcourt.
Lakers Predicted to Trade Austin Reaves to Toronto Raptors
A lot of NBA observers appear to be confused regarding what the Toronto Raptors are doing right now. The Raptors were seemingly building around former No. 4 pick and All-Star forward Scottie Barnes prior to last season’s trade deadline.
However, they proceeded to trade for and pay veteran wing Brandon Ingram and use a top-10 pick on forward Collins Murray-Boyles.
Adding an established star to their backcourt could work wonders for their NBA playoff pursuit. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley predicts that the Lakers could trade Reaves to Toronto.
“Toronto has seemingly had an appetite for a major addition this offseason, and Reaves could be a strong fit,” Buckley wrote. “He would simultaneously check off boxes for perimeter shooting and support scoring, plus he’d have a long enough runway in front of him to grow alongside this core.”
Buckley didn’t outline what the Lakers would receive in return, but it’s largely dependent on what direction the organization moves in at this time.
If Los Angeles wants to keep building around Dončić, then pieces such as Gradey Dick, draft capital, and even Murray-Boyles are options. Alternatively, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, or RJ Barrett could highlight a return if competing with James at the helm is still highly valued.
It’s worth noting that the Raptors may abandon the win-now strategy after firing President and Vice Chairman Masai Ujiri. Although he put together a championship roster led by Kawhi Leonard in 2019, the ownership potentially didn’t see the same vision with a core of Ingram and Barnes.
This would provide a level of explanation to the Murray-Boyles pick as they could flip Ingram in the coming years.
Let’s say the Raptors continue showing a level of desperation for talent. Reaves is a strong offensive piece to throw in the mix. He averaged 20.2 points on 46% shooting in 73 appearances last season.
What are some of the issues around Reaves? Well, the 27-year-old doesn’t offer much outside of scoring and a bit of tenacious defense. With Ingram also being a score-first player, the Raptors could become too one-dimensional with this proposed trade.
Just as James and Dončić will likely have a chance to build chemistry, the Lakers should consider giving the same opportunity to the Slovenian superstar and Reaves.