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LA Lakers undrafted second-year shooting guard Austin Reaves could command more money in free agency than former Lakers guard Alex Caruso.
In other news, the latest Lakers trade update has the team’s prospects looking fairly bleak.
On that note, here are the latest rumors surrounding the LA Lakers as of Dec. 29, 2022.
Austin Reaves might command more money than Alex Caruso
Austin Reaves has become a key part of the LA Lakers’ rotation over his first two years with the team. This season Reaves is averaging 10.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on an efficient 51.6/38.2/90.4 shooting split. Overall, he has become one of the most consistent offensive players on a struggling Lakers team.
According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, this could make Reaves an expensive role player to retain. Perhaps even more expensive than Alex Caruso.
“From what I’ve heard on that, it’s going to be more than Caruso money, that’s for sure,” Buha said.
“It’s going to be double digits,” Buha continued.
Caruso left the Lakers after signing a four-year, $37 million contract with the Chicago Bulls in 2021. As Buha pointed out, Reaves will likely command more than $10 million per season. This would mark a massive increase over the $1.5 million remaining on his contract for this season. It would also affect the Lakers' rumored plans to go after big names in 2023 free agency.
For more on the possibility of Austin Reaves receiving a big raise this summer, click here.
Shams Charania gives latest update on LA Lakers' trade options
As for the latest update regarding who the LA Lakers may be able to acquire via trade, there hasn’t been much movement on that front.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently made an appearance on FanDuel TV. Charania explained how the Lakers’ limited amount of draft picks is making it difficult for them to pull off a deal.
“It’s tough to make a move where you’re jeopardizing future assets. We saw them do a little bit of that. They’ve been down that rabbit hole already,” Charania said.
As has been well-documented, the Lakers do not have sole possession of their own first-round draft picks until 2027 and 2029. They also don’t have many quality young players to include in trades. So with around six weeks until the Feb. 9 trade deadline, it doesn’t appear that the Lakers are close to making any sort of trade.
LA Lakers mock trade sees Purple and Gold land Toronto Raptors trio
The LA Lakers may not be close to making any trades yet. However, that hasn’t stopped NBA analysts from drumming up their own trade proposals for the Purple and Gold. This includes Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, who suggested a massive trade that would see the Lakers land three of the Toronto Raptors’ rotation players. Favale’s proposed mock trade is as follows:
LA Lakers Receive: Chris Boucher, Gary Trent Jr., Fred VanVleet
Toronto Raptors Receive: Max Christie, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Russell Westbrook, 2026 first-round pick swap, 2027 first-round pick (unprotected), 2028 first-round pick swap, 2029 first-round pick (unprotected)
Many Lakers fans have been intrigued by the win-now trade proposal. However, others have questioned whether this is the right use of the Lakers’ only draft assets. Any move the Lakers make involving their future firsts would have to put them over the top to be worthwhile. Fans have also grown rather fond of Russell Westbrook this season since his transition to a bench role. He is no longer viewed as a dead weight as he was just a couple of months ago.
However, Fred VanVleet was an All-Star just last season and is averaging 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game. VanVleet would bring toughness, championship experience and spacing to the Lakers.
However, he is a bit undersized and struggles with overall inefficiency at 38.2% shooting. He also has a $22.8 million player option for next season that he can opt out of to become a free agent next summer.
Meanwhile, Gary Trent Jr. is a solid 3-and-D wing with good size who is averaging 16.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.3 3-pointers per game on 43.4% shooting. Like VanVleet, Trent has a player option worth $18.8 million for next season that he can opt out of to become a free agent.
Finally, Chris Boucher would offer the Lakers a stretch big man off the bench who can protect the rim a little bit. Boucher is averaging 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.8 3-pointers per game on 45.0% shooting. He is under contract until the end of 2025 with a guaranteed $35.3 million remaining on his contract.
The Raptors are just 15-19 and 11th in the Eastern Conference. They may consider a deal like this if they opt to enter into a rebuild. However, it remains to be seen if the Lakers have any interest in a deal of this nature.
For Dan Favale's full article, click here.
