The spotlight that comes with starring for the Los Angeles Lakers also arrives with unrelenting trade rumors. Just ask Austin Reaves, who just wrapped up his fourth season in the purple and gold.
With only a matter of days before the NBA offseason begins, Reaves is one of the hottest names on the trade market. He's coming off the best season of his career—averaging 20.2 points per game—and is perhaps the Lakers' most attractive piece to attach to a deal as they attempt to build out a more complete roster around LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Reaves, however, would prefer to remain in Los Angeles.
"I really don't pay attention to any of it," Reaves said of the trade rumors Monday during an interview at his annual basketball camp in Arkansas. "If I hear it, it's usually my mom asking me about it because I'm sure she scrolls all day long looking at that stuff, as a parent would do. At this point, it's not in my control. I want to be in L.A. If they want to trade me, we'll start something new somewhere else, but like I said, I want to be in L.A. I want to play my whole career in L.A. I love it there; I love the fans. ... And obviously, the Lakers are the best organization in basketball."
After falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the opening round of the postseason, the Lakers are tasked with surrounding James and Doncic with enough talent to compete in a loaded Western Conference. That includes a need at center after they sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster Doncic deal.
Whether Reaves returns to make a star trio with James and Doncic or gets traded this offseason remains to be seen, but it's clear he'd prefer to remain in Los Angeles.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Austin Reaves Addresses Future With Lakers As Trade Rumors Swirl.
