Lakers predicted to cut ties with Austin Reaves, acquire $175 million Bucks 10-time All-Star

Lakers predicted to cut ties with Austin Reaves, acquire $175 million Bucks 10-time All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With the Los Angeles Lakers’ season ending on Monday night, fans should expect trade rumors centered on Austin Reaves to ramp up quickly.

The 6-foot-5 star guard is the Lakers’ most valuable trade chip moving forward, and it isn’t up for debate. Reaves' postseason struggles were on full display, but the Oklahoma product was a playmaking wizard during the regular season.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game, shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc in 51 contests (he battled injuries throughout the year).

If the Lakers want to go all-in for the Milwaukee Bucks’ 10-time All-Star and NBA champion this offseason, Heavy’s Max Dible believes including Reaves in a potential trade is a requirement.

“The hypothetical blockbuster trade could work out well for Reaves also, as the Lakers would be incentivized to pay him closer to the max so as to get the money closer to a match in a deal for () Antetokounmpo,” Dible wrote Monday.