“I think the sky’s the limit for us. We’re moving in the right direction… I want to be in LA. I want to play my whole career in LA.” That’s Austin Reaves, doubling down on his commitment to the Lakers. But even as he says all the right things, his name keeps popping up in trade rumors. And now, in a new interview, Reaves just made a surprising confession about JJ Redick that makes those rumors feel even more out of place.

The revelation came during an interview on the Lakers Podcast with Trevor Lane. When asked about his first season playing for Redick, Reaves didn’t hesitate. He pulled back the curtain on a private conversation he had with his coach at the end of their playoff run. “I jokingly told him at the end of the year…not jokingly, it was the truth, but I never.. I’m a very sarcastic person, especially with them…that it was the most fun I’ve had playing basketball in a long time,” Reaves admitted. “I enjoyed going to work. It wasn’t like..‘Oh, I’ve got to do this again.’ They made it fun every day.”

For a player whose name is constantly swirling in trade rumors, hearing him talk about his job with that much pure joy is a big deal. He didn’t just praise the fun atmosphere, though. He got real about what makes Redick a special coach. “His [JJ Redick] intensity, his care factor is you know almost higher than anybody’s if not higher than anybody’s,” Reaves said. He even touched on Redick’s own self-criticism after that playoff loss: “And he’ll be the first to tell you… that he wishes that he might have did a couple things differently in that series.” But that’s what makes him special: “he holds himself to a high standard. That’s all you can ask for in a coach.”

But this is the NBA—where loyalty is fleeting and chemistry often gets sacrificed at the altar of star-chasing. Austin Reaves may be coming off his best season yet, but that hasn’t stopped his name from swirling in trade rumors. Why? Because outside of the Lakers’ untouchables—LeBron James and Luka Doncic—Reaves is their most valuable trade chip, thanks to his ascending game and team-friendly contract.

If L.A. wants to bring in a third star, Reaves is almost guaranteed to be part of the price. When asked about the noise during his youth camp in Arkansas, he gave the expected, no-nonsense answer: “I don’t pay attention to it. I keep my head down, work, and I feel like that’s one of the reasons I’m where I’m at.” While the Lakers reportedly share Reaves’ enthusiasm for him to stay, the front office is also realistic. According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the team isn’t actively shopping him, but he’s not “outright off-limits” either.

The Lakers have clear needs—a dominant center (a problem they faced throughout this season), more wing defenders, and general depth—and very few assets to make a deal. That puts Reaves in a tough spot. The Lakers would reportedly only consider moving him for a “foundationally important” center, which means his future in L.A. might depend on another superstar a thousand miles away becoming available. But while the front office weighs his value as a trade chip, Reaves is busy proving his value as a leader.

Austin Reaves defends his stars and his role players

On the same podcast, when the conversation turned to the defensive criticism surrounding Luka Doncic, Reaves didn’t just deflect—he shut it down completely. “Everybody likes to blow things out of proportion,” he said. “I think when you become a really good defense, it’s not about one individual… You look at players that are first, second team All-Defense, and they get blown by some of the time, too.” It was the kind of thing you’d expect from a 10-year vet, not a guy who is still establishing himself.

And he wasn’t just protecting his superstars. With all the talk about the Lakers needing a new big man, Reaves made sure to give credit to a guy he feels has been unfairly overlooked: center Jaxson Hayes. “When you get so quick to just throw people under the bus, like people have thrown Jaxson [Hayes] under the bus,” he started. “When Jaxson, in that first month when Luka got there, Jaxson was one of our most important players, playing at such a high level… everyone forgets about that couple of months stretch where he was one of our best players.”

He even went out of his way to hype up rookie Dalton Knecht, telling a story about the young player asking for advice on how to earn more playing time. “I got Dalton. I’ve heard that he’s been locked in… working out two, three times a day,” Reaves said. “His talent level is definitely there.”

This is the guy whose name is being thrown around in trade talks—a player who publicly has his teammates’ backs, all of them. It’s the kind of locker room glue that every championship team needs. And it puts the Lakers front office in a tough spot.

Do you trade that guy—the one having the most fun of his career, the one building chemistry with your new coach—for a “foundationally important” piece that might not fit? In a league obsessed with big names, the Lakers’ decision on Austin Reaves will say a lot about what they value more: a collection of talent, or the heart of their team.