The NBA trade deadline approaches as rumors concerning Los Angeles Lakers player transactions continue to fill sports publications. Austin Reaves stands as the only player whose potential trade to Sacramento is forbidden according to team management. The Lakers through newspaper reports confirm that Austin Reaves stands as an absolute exception to any proposed package involving Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox. The downside of acquiring De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento pales in comparison to the positive aspects of keeping Austin Reaves on the Lakers’ roster for the future. ### Why Lakers Value Reaves
The Los Angeles Lakers depend on Reaves because he offers dependable point-scoring and defensive versatility together with advanced playmaking abilities. He continued his strong gaming performance through last season while helping Team USA during the FIBA World Cup tournament thus establishing himself as a vital role player next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
As a key member of the Lakers he extends the offense from beyond the arc while managing the ball and covering different defensive positions.
The team-friendly contract spanning four years and totaling $53 million that Reaves carries provides flexibility to the Lakers in their pursuit of acquiring players during the next salary cap period. Releasing Reaves for Fox would force the Lakers to acquire multiple extra players to match salaries and limit their subsequent transaction possibilities.
Every analyst agrees that Fox would bring major value to the team. The 26-year-old playmaker leads his team with more than 25 points per game this year because of his top-tier speed and ability to create scoring opportunities. The Lakers have gravely lacked those aspects in their current roster.
The Lakers need to provide Reaves along with multiple draft choices and potentially one more rotational performer to acquire Fox under such circumstances. This trade would result in major depth losses for their organization.
The Kings maintain their playoff aspirations so they will most likely refuse to trade Fox unless someone presents them with an astonishing proposal. The Kings would not accept any proposition of trading for Reaves and futuresports assets because they prefer another type of trade.
The Right Call for Now
The Lakers should hold onto Reaves since his retention provides them with their existing core structure and multiple ways to build roster improvements. The Lakers maintain value in keeping Reaves because he operates well with James and Davis while demonstrating versatility on the court. Since it seems improbable for the Lakers to acquire a star player that does not involve surrendering Reaves they should keep him as part of their current roster.
