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NBA rumors: Lakers’ Austin Reaves trade strategy as 2 center targets emerge
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- NBA rumors: Lakers’ Austin Reaves trade strategy as 2 center targets emerge
The post NBA rumors: Lakers' Austin Reaves trade strategy as 2 center targets emerge appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Finding a starting-caliber center to pair with Luka Doncic will be the Los Angeles Lakers' top priority this summer. After trading Anthony Davis , Rob Pelinka's squad was left with a gaping hole at the position during the second half of the season. Despite this, the Lakers aren't expected to include Austin Reaves , their top trade asset, in a deal for a big man, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.
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"The team has shown no interest in using Reaves in a trade that nets them anything less than a top-tier big, and there really aren't any of those available, with the two most common names linked to them in the earliest stages of the offseason — Brooklyn's Nic Claxton and Dallas ' Daniel Gafford ," Woike said.
Reaves is coming off a breakout season during which he averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists on 46/38/88 shooting splits. He, Darius Garland and Jamal Murray were the NBA's only players to average 20-plus points and five-plus assists on such splits or better.
It's understandable why the Lakers won't include Reaves in a deal for Claxton or Gafford, both of whom are solid players but fall well short of star status. But do they have enough to swing a deal for either big man while holding onto him?
Can Lakers acquire Nic Claxton or Daniel Gafford with Austin Reaves off the table?
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The answer will ultimately depend on how the Nets and Mavericks value the Lakers' distant draft picks.
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With Reaves off the table, Los Angeles' offer for Claxton or Gafford would likely center on their 2031 first-round pick, Dalton Knecht and expiring salary fillers such as Gabe Vincent and/or Maxi Kleber . They could also include a 2030 first-round pick swap.
That's not a terrible package on the surface. However, the Lakers have made the playoffs in 38 of the last 49 seasons, a poor sign for teams betting against their future outlook.
Knecht showed flashes early this season. However, he was a 24-year-old rookie who ultimately couldn't crack the Lakers' rotation and was traded at the deadline for Mark Williams in a deal that was later rescinded.
Claxton is coming off a down year after signing a four-year, $97 million contract last summer. However, he was among the NBA's top defensive centers over the prior two seasons and would provide a high-level lob threat alongside Doncic. The 26-year-old has three years left on a reasonable contract that will pay him below 14 percent of the salary cap in its final two years.
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Gafford had another productive campaign with the Mavericks in 2023-24, averaging 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game. The 26-year-old shot 70.2 percent from the field, the NBA's second-highest mark among players to attempt over four shots per game, behind only Jarrett Allen .
However, the Mavericks have a crowded frontcourt that already features Davis and Dereck Lively. Gafford is in the final year of his contract, potentially adding to Dallas' urgency to find a trade partner.
The NBA trade market will gain clarity in the lead-up to the draft and free agency. Los Angeles' pursuit of its starting center will be a main storyline to monitor.
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