Everyone knows the Los Angeles Lakers made out like gangbusters in the trade that brought Luka Doncic to Hollywood. A key part of just how great that deal was is now sinking in even further, and it has to do with Austin Reaves.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you would know that Reaves is having, by far and away, the best season of his pro career. The Lakers guard is thriving as the backcourt partner for Doncic. That's the part making people mad.
The Lakers should have never gotten the luxury of acquiring Doncic and keeping Reaves in the process. That is what frustrates those who do no want to see Los Angeles succeed. Bill Simmons said as much on a recent episode of his podcast.
Simmons said, "They have this incredible player, Luka Doncic. They also have Reaves, who somehow wasn't in the Luka Doncic trade. ... 50 years from now, I'm hopefully alive, wondering why he wasn't in the trade."
Doncic-Reaves backcourt gives Lakers the needed foundation for this era
Simmons is right. By all stretches of the imagination, Reaves should have been a necessary inclusion to get that deal done. The fact that Rob Pelinka got out of trade negotiations with Nico Harrison while keeping him will always live on as a testament to the best moment of Pelinka's run as Lakers general manager.
Thinking about how many problems Reaves could solve for a dreadful Dallas Mavericks franchise right now is a can of worms no one in that region of Texas wants to open. The Lakers really had their cake and ate it too.
Reaves is averaging 28.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 36.6 minutes per game thus far in 2025-26. The All-Star candidate is shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, contributing to a true shooting percentage of 68.0.
Reaves has one of the best offensive ratings per 100 possessions on the entire Lakers team this season. The 27-year-old also ranks (among Lakers with min. 5 games played) second in player efficiency rating , first in offensive win shares, second in total win shares, second in win shares per-48, second in box plus/minus, and second in value over replacement player.
Across the board, Reaves has been pretty consistently delivering the production needed as a co-star to Doncic. Those wishing to see the Lakers falter are punching the air.