Lakers aren't trading Austin Reaves unless a specific threshold is met

It's safe to say this past season was not good enough for the Los Angeles Lakers. They went 47-35 in the regular season, securing a spot in the Play-In Tournament once again before bowing out in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets.

Things needed to change this offseason and they already have, with JJ Redick replacing Darvin Ham as the team's head coach. Things should change player-wise as well, as the Lakers would strongly benefit from adding more talent, but they're not a team flush with assets.

The best asset they have who could be seen as movable is Austin Reaves, but Reaves is reportedly completely off the table in trade talks unless one specific bar is cleared as Jovan Buha said on his podcast.

Lakers would only consider trading Austin Reaves under one condition

"The Lakers, by all indications, are not trying to trade Austin Reaves unless it is an All-Star-level guy. ... Even then, it seems like it's a legit All-Star, not just a fringe All-Star type. They did not want to include him in a potential trade for Dejounte Murray at the deadline."

The Lakers would only trade Reaves if they get a proven All-Star in return. We're not talking about a fringe All-Star like Dejounte Murray, we're talking about perennial All-Stars. Donovan Mitchell is a name that comes to mind if the Cavaliers consider dealing him. Trae Young could be another. That's quite the ask.

The Lakers valuing Reaves as highly as they do makes some sense. He's only 26 years old, has improved in every season of his career, and is on an incredibly team-friendly contract. Reaves signed a four-year deal worth $53.8 million ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, so he'd come with two guaranteed years.

Reaves averaged 15.9 points per game this past season on 48.6/36.7/85.3 splits to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists while he appeared in all 82 regular season games. He's an efficient scorer, can distribute, and can defend, while again, he's only gotten better every year. He's not a perennial All-Star, but he's a high-level role player that many great teams would love to have.

The Lakers being stingy here makes sense, especially because of how valuable his contract is, but Reaves really is their only pathway toward getting that legitimate All-Star that they covet. If said All-Star becomes available, there's a good chance we'll see rumors of Reaves potentially being discussed. If not, it's hard to envision Los Angeles moving on from him.