LA Lakers star Austin Reaves' agent quickly shut down the narrative about him not wanting to play with Luka Doncic. During the 2024-25 NBA season, the Lakers traded for Doncic. Since then, he's developed chemistry with his co-stars, Reaves and LeBron James.
However, on Tuesday's episode of "Burns and Gambo," NBA insider John Gambadoro claimed Reaves and James had issues playing with Doncic.
"LeBron does not like playing with Luka," Gambadoro said. "Reaves does not like playing with Luka. Reaves does not like getting the ball with two seconds left on the shot clock. LeBron is not fond of playing with Luka. The Lakers are going to turn their attention to build around Luka, not LeBron."

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On Thursday, Reaves' agent, Aaron Reilly, shut down the rumors about a potential rift between his client and Doncic.
"Austin has nothing but the utmost respect for Luka and truly enjoys playing alongside him," Reilly said in a statement. "Any suggestion to the contrary is completely false. He’s excited to be on the court with Luka—both now and in the future."
For the 2025-26 season, Reaves and Doncic will continue as the team's starting backcourt. Together, they form a lethal tandem, especially on the offensive end.
Austin Reaves wants to grow with LeBron James and Luka Doncic
The fate of the Lakers depends on the star trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Together, they led the team to the third spot in the Western Conference last season. However, they lacked the needed depth to have a deep playoff run.
Nevertheless, the trio is determined to run it back with the Lakers. When their offseason started, Reaves talked about wanting to grow with his co-stars.
“Just continuing to grow together,” he said. “Obviously they’re unbelievable basketball players and the more time we spend, not with just them, but the whole unit, you’re just gonna become more cohesive, more together, know exactly what you’re gonna do every possession when things get tough. You’re rolling with how you want to play the game.”
Austin Reaves and the Lakers couldn't outlast the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. They only won Game 2 of the best-of-seven series and were eliminated early on.
But the series allowed the Lakers to explore what they need to work on this summer.
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