Lakers Trade Proposal Swaps Austin Reaves For All-Star Wing, Defensive Ace

The Los Angeles Lakers look good right now and their brilliance in the In-Season Tournament is a clear message for the rest of the NBA. The Lakers pose a serious threat to other NBA teams. However, analysts still discuss a few potential trade moves for the Lakers and one of the scenarios include Austin Reaves.

The Lakers had their eye on former Laker Alex Caruso. Losing him caused more harm than good, and the Lakers may be doing their best to bring him back. Shams Charania from The Athletic reported that the Chicago Bulls won’t let him go that easily. Well, Rob Pelinka won’t trade Reaves as well, as reported by Michael Scotto from Hoopshype.

Lakers could trade Reaves after all

Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan has a suggestion for both teams. This scenario makes sense for the Lakers and the Bulls would benefit from it as well.

“Maybe there’s something where [the Lakers] get LaVine, and maybe they could also get Alex Caruso,” Gozlan discussed. “I think that’s a guy that really raises their championship ceiling over most of the players.”

“Would the Lakers consider a package where they get LaVine and Caruso, but then have to give up Reaves, but they don’t have to give up any picks? Maybe they can also get off [Gabe] Vincent in the process? I think that’s an interesting scenario. They definitely need a point-of-attack defender like Caruso to defend some of the better ball-dominant players in the league.”

Vincent will be eligible for a trade in a few days and Reaves could end up on the trade block on January 15. If Pelinka plans to get both Bulls players, he will have to trade D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura or Christian Wood as well.

Reaves is brilliant with the Lakers this season and his fan base is wild. However, Caruso may be a better fit for the team, per some experts. Caruso was never supposed to leave the Lakers after all.