The Los Angeles Lakers have a tradition of having a dynamic guard-center star duo as the anchor of their dynasty runs from Magic Johnson-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol.
With the Sacramento Kings making De’Aaron Fox available, the Lakers have a golden opportunity to form another dynamic guard-center star duo that could anchor their next championship team with LeBron James‘ historic career winding down.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposes an all-in trade for Fox to pair him with Anthony Davis, making them an instant contender now with James and setting them up for the post-LeBron era.
Los Angeles Lakers receive: De’Aaron Fox
Sacramento Kings receive: Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick (top-five protected)
According to Buckley, this is “the kind of high-end upgrade” that will make the Lakers push all their trade chips to the table.
“For all of the progress Reaves has made the past few seasons, he’s not a true third star next to Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Fox, a Klutch Sports client like L.A.’s biggest stars, meets that standard and potentially looms as the missing piece of the club’s championship puzzle,” Buckley wrote.
Buckley added the Lakers “could use a downhill dimension to their offense.”
Fox will instantly boost the Lakers’ downhill attack, which is currently the fourth-fewest in the league, averaging only 38.1 drives per game. For a better perspective, West’s third-best team Memphis Grizzlies is leading the league in drives per game with 61.9, almost double the Lakers’ average.
Fox is averaging 16.3 drives per game, the sixth-most in the NBA this season. He’s the most prolific driver among the stars available in the trade market, making 4.4 per game, fourth overall in the league this season.
Lakers Unwilling to Trade Austin Reaves
Jake Fischer reported on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter that Reaves is the holdup in a potential Fox trade.
“Among the reasons why the Lakers are not Fox’s preferred destination: Klutch has direct knowledge of many Lakers dealings thanks to its representation of LeBron James and Anthony Davis,” Fischer wrote.
“Which means Klutch knows, as sources tell The Stein Line, that the Lakers have zero intention of parting with Sacramento’s presumed top target in any Fox discussions: Austin Reaves.”
The Lakers have resisted parting ways with Reaves since last year’s NBA trade deadline in their Dejounte Murray pursuit. But Fox is on a whole different level than Murray.
The 27-year-old Fox is in his prime, and a 25-point scorer over the last three seasons. Fox is an All-Star level player who was snubbed this season despite averaging 25.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists for the Kings. He was an All-Star, an All-NBA player and the Clutch Player of the Year in 2023.
Pride of the Buss Family
In the weeks leading to last year’s NBA trade deadline, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained in detail why the Lakers have made Reaves untouchable.
“I can’t imagine a better role player because [Reaves] has the trust of those two guys [James and Davis],” McMenamin said on the January 8, 2024 episode “The Lowe Post” podcast. “He has the confidence of those two guys. He’s been a proven playoff performer. He has the trust and the kind support of the Buss family — the brothers who identified him in the draft process and Governor Jeanie. That’s a point of pride for her to have someone like Austin Reeves who was a homegrown Laker organization product [and] become a star.”
The 24-year-old Reaves is on the second season of a four-year, $54 million contract, which is considered one of the best-value deals in the NBA. He is one of the success stories in the league after going undrafted in 2021.
Reaves has elevated his game this season under coach JJ Redick, averaging career-high in scoring (18.2), assists (6.1), steals (1.1) and minutes played (34.9) in 41 games.
But after next season, Reaves will command a bigger payday as he will certainly decline his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season. While Reaves will not command the five-year, $296 million Fox will seek in his next contract, the current Lakers guard’s next deal, if he keeps getting better, could come closer to the $200 million range.
Fox is just one year older than Reaves.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Trade Pitch Flips Austin Reaves, Draft Capital for ‘True Third Star’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.