The regular season isn't even underway, and there's already talk about what the Kings are going to do at the 2026 trade deadline. One of the big players they could shop around is Domantas Sabonis, a trade that could lead to Austin Reaves traveling north to Sacramento.
With the lack of moves in the offseason, the trade deadline has become an even more important benchmark for the Kings this season. The front office has the first half of 2025-2026 to assess the current roster and make plans accordingly.
That being said, the gaps in the roster are incredibly obvious and have been obvious for a long time. The team is heavy on shoot-first players and guards. They need more playmakers and defenders. While Austin Reaves doesn't offer both of those attributes, he could still be an asset.
Austin Reaves on the move
The 2025-2026 season is the last one on Austin's current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. After this season is over, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Most pundits expect that the Lakers will want to keep him as part of building a team around Luka Doncic.
Based on that, the Lakers being interested in moving Reaves seems unlikely. That's until you factor in Deandre Ayton. The Doncic trade brought the Lakers a generational talent, but it cost them a center who can dominate on both ends of the court. It's a problem they tried to solve with Ayton.
That won't work out, as Ayton is the poster model for the concept of unrealized potential. He should be good, if not great. Ayton is kind of okay on a good day. On the other hand, Sabonis is a double-double machine who would absolutely feast playing alongside Doncic.
What Reaves brings to the Kings
The Kings are not lacking for guards who can score, which is a big part of Reaves' appeal. To be completely honest, he's a mediocre defender at his absolute best. Because of that, he might have problems fitting into Doug Christie's defense-first focus.
What Austin does bring to the table is creative playmaking as well as next-level ball handling. He can set up his teammates to score while also operating in isolation and racking up his own points. Reaves has become a reliable third choice on a Lakers' roster that includes Doncic and LeBron James.
The likelihood of the Lakers wanting to give up Reaves or Reaves wanting to leave the Lakers is low. But the Doncic trade taught everyone that anything is possible in the NBA. If the Lakers want a good center bad enough, they might be willing to part with a player with the potential of Reaves.