Lakers to Wait On Austin Reaves’ Future as Insider Reveals Rob Pelinka’s Potential Plan

Lakers fans didn’t get the seismic trade they braced for this summer. Instead, they got something subtler, and potentially just as defining: the decision to keep Austin Reaves alongside Luka Doncic. It’s a gamble wrapped in patience that could shape this season and the franchise’s post-LeBron blueprint.

The question isn’t whether Reaves can play: his 2024-25 numbers scream efficiency and versatility. The tension lies in whether his skill set and $30 million annual price tag can coexist with Doncic without compromising the Lakers’ defensive backbone. And somewhere in this calculus sits LeBron James, whose eventual successor will shape how this trio evolves.

Reaves has done everything the Lakers have asked. As analyst Anthony Irwin put it: “Over the course of last season, he was a primary offensive initiator, a secondary one, a tertiary one. And his numbers when Luka got there were still really good… It’s a pretty selective group that averaged 20, 5, and 5 last season.” Reaves finished the year with 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists on 46% shooting and 37.7% from deep: numbers that show his Swiss-army knife offensive playstyle.

The challenge, Irwin notes, isn’t talent but athletic overlap. “My concern with Austin is his athleticism next to Luka… If you’re going to have those two guys back there, everybody else at their positions have to be plus to elite athletes to make up for the athleticism that you don’t have with Austin and Luka.” That balancing act isn’t hypothetical: it’s a roster construction puzzle the Lakers must solve for a successful 2025-26 season. It will be particularly telling to see how Reaves handles switch-heavy defensive schemes against elite wings this season.

Los Angeles has, so far, resisted calls to move Reaves this summer. GM Rob Pelinka’s approach has reflected patience and strategic flexibility. The front office is allowing the Lakers to evaluate Reaves, Luka, and LeBron together before making any long-term decisions. Reaves’ roughly $30 million contract is structured to remain competitive but also movable if a better fit presents itself. This approach suggests the Lakers prioritize long-term roster flexibility, keeping trade leverage in hand while assessing internal development.

The Numbers Behind the Lakers’ Gamble

Austin Reaves’ numbers alone justify the intrigue. His true shooting percentage (59.1%) ranked comfortably above league average, and his role fluidity, shifting from secondary scorer to on-ball creator, kept Los Angeles afloat in stretches when Doncic was off the floor.

Luka Doncic maintained a massive offensive load with 28.2 points, 7.5 assists, and a 34.3% usage rate with the Lakers. That workload during a season where Luka reportedly struggled with conditioning meant he had to take extra measures this summer, such as dedicated cardio, strength work, and flexibility routines, to get back in peak shape before training camp. How he adapts physically could directly impact the team’s spacing, defensive rotations, and overall synergy with Reaves.

The concern isn’t just numbers, but fit. Neither Reaves nor Doncic offers elite lateral speed or length, meaning the Lakers need complementary athletes at other positions to maintain defensive integrity. How the team balances spacing, athleticism, and shooting around them will determine if this core can compete this season and transition effectively beyond LeBron’s era.