Lakers fans are convinced Austin Reaves is recruiting this star to LA

Austin Reaves has gone from undrafted free agent to Team USA in just over two years. Reaves has quickly blossomed into a legitimate guy on the Los Angeles Lakers who might even be a future all-star at this rate.

Not only did Reaves make Team USA for the FIBA World Cup this summer but he has looked like one of the best players on the entire roster. Team USA thrives whenever Reaves is on the floor, showcasing not only his individual talent but his impact on playing winning basketball.

It has been a pleasure for Lakers fans to watch Reaves in action for Team USA and there is hope among the fanbase that it will not only grow him as a player but potentially bring in some future stars down the line. Because of their seemingly great relationship thus far on Team USA, some Lakers fans are convinced that Mikal Bridges will be the next star in LA.

"Mikal Bridges, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, is tweeting about Lakers SG Austin Reaves: by u/LonzoBBBall in lakers"

Just look at the fans flooding that Reddit post pushing the dream of Bridges eventually coming to LA. There is definitely a strong push for Bridges to be the guy to join up with Reaves and Anthony Davis in the post-LeBron era.

How realistic is Mikal Bridges for the Los Angeles Lakers?

As mentioned in the Reddit post above, Bridges is not a free agent until the 2026 summer. At that point, he would theoretically be in his prime and would be entering his age-30 season. He certainly would bring a new wrinkle to the Lakers’ roster and would be a star capable of making a difference in LA.

From a style fit it makes a lot of sense, Los Angeles would just have to hope that he doesn’t sign a super-max extension with the Nets before the 2026 summer. If so, Bridges may never even make it to the market for LA to try and sign.

As great as Bridges is and as wonderful as his chemistry is with Reaves, it still seems like he would be a backup plan for the Lakers. It appears that the No. 1 star that the team wants to bring in post-LeBron is Jayson Tatum. Tatum, a life-long Lakers fan, can be a free agent during the 2025 summer.

That is exactly when a lot of cap space suddenly opens for Los Angeles and he would be around the same age AD was when the Lakers acquired him. That seems to be the No. 1 plan for LA, but if Tatum does not work out, the focus absolutely could pivot to Bridges.