The Los Angeles Lakers were overjoyed to hand their 26-year-old generational talent and newly-minted franchise player Luka Dončić a three-year, $165 million contract extension this past summer.
After Dončić officially inked the deal, the focus for Los Angeles’ general manager Rob Pelinka immediately shifted to determining which players should take the floor alongside the Slovenian superstar for the next phase of his illustrious career.
Their 21-time All-Star LeBron James will be riding off into the sunset in the very near future, but the Lakers’ formerly undrafted star guard Austin Reaves could be a potential Dončić sidekick for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately for the storied franchise, the 27-year-old fringe All-Star might accrue plenty of interest from a prospective trade partner who may be able to offer the Lakers a deal that they cannot refuse.
“The Los Angeles Lakers regrettably lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the (Houston) Rockets, and Houston is the painfully obvious team to steal Austin Reaves when he hits free agency in the summer of 2026,” FanSided’s Tyler Watts wrote Monday afternoon.
“The 6’5 wing is in line for a massive payday, and the Lakers are limited to what they can offer in an extension.”
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“This likely takes a sign-and-trade as the Rockets want to keep Kevin Durant and Tari Eason on fresh extensions.”
“Houston is loaded with young talent and draft capital to make any deal. They could dump money elsewhere, so the Lakers would be forced to play ball.”
For a team as loaded with prospects and valuable assets as the Houston Rockets, trading for stars becomes a much easier task.
Houston came away with 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal with the Phoenix Suns this summer which saw the Rockets let go of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and several first-round draft picks. Incredibly enough, their war chest was barely emptied.
If the Rockets are aiming to replace their injured point guard Fred VanVleet with a slightly younger and more efficient scorer and play-maker, then the franchise could overwhelm the Lakers with a sizable offer.
Los Angeles could look to acquire impactful young pieces like Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason and appealing first-round draft capital in a deal, but losing out on their rapidly improving guard might not be at the top of their to-do list for the summer of 2026.
In 73 appearances for the Lakers this past season, Reaves contributed career-bests of 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals while knocking down 37.7% of his 7.3 attempts from three-point range.
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