The Lakers aim to gain future assets in this mock trade that sends Austin Reaves to San Antonio
Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
In this story:
- San Antonio Spurs
- Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are sitting in a current situation where they have a lot of money tied up in active contracts. Though their current roster may very will bring another championship to town, management may be forward-thinking in this trade hypothetical. To stay long-term relevant, the Lakers must look beyond the LeBron era and attain some future assets. A deal where they link up with the Spurs may be a match made in heaven.
Why the Lakers Make this Trade
Right now, the Lakers have $98M tied up just this year, between LeBron James and Luka Doncic. They have another five players after that with a payroll hit of over $11M. This team is setup for quick success, but a true GM looks to the long term. If this team does not win a championship before LeBron retires, what do they do?
The answer is actually quite simple. The Lakers must attain future assets. The team only has three first rounds picks before the turn of the decade. This is not enough to sustain the long term. In this hypothetical, the Lakers can trade Austin Reaves — a player who has already been floated around the trading block.
In this deal, they send Austin Reaves to a much-in-need Spurs team and get back a 1st round pick that may be over market as it is.
Why the Spurs Make this Trade
The Spurs are in a totally different situation. The team got Victor Wembanyama as the future of the franchise and they complimented him with De’Aron Fox and Devin Vassell. Added, they have rookie phenom Dylan Harper among other key contributors in Kelly Olynyk, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, and Stephon Castle. This team is built to win soon enough.
As far as adding Reaves, this gives them another key depth piece. Unlike the Lakers, the Spurs cannot rely on their two stars to win every game. Wemby is good, but will be a load-managed player. Harper should be good, but is yet to see the court. They need rotational depth and Reaves brings just that. He is an elite ball-mover and will feed the offense just fine.
This team will also get the contract of Jeremy Sochan off the payroll. Sochan is looking for a new deal as the current is expiring. It seems more likely than not that Sochan is gone, so they freely send him off with actual returns. Sure, they have to send out a 1st round pick, but the Spurs have a surplus, so they can leverage as they please.
Trade Recap:
The Lakers get an added first round pick to invest soundly and effectively. They also get a young weapon in Sochan that they very well can re-sign to remain with the team for years to come. Sochan is just 22 years old and would provide a great compliment to LeBron and Luka and he is not a primary scorer. He can play both guard and forward. It is a great asset for the Lakers to own a hybrid, non-demanding player like Jeremy Sochan.
The Spurs get another key role playing veteran to help mold this young roster. Reaves can start, come off the bench, whatever the Spurs would like to do. He is under contract for a few more years and so they replace an exiting asset with a long-term one in Reaves. It will be valuable to have him as a veteran come playoff time.