NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Franchise-altering trade scenario every team must prepare for

Los Angeles Lakers

Trade scenario: Trading Austin Reaves

As Austin Reaves has emerged as somewhat of a rising star for the Los Angeles Lakers over the last couple of seasons, it was not surprising to see the team enter last summer with a priority of keeping him around. At that point, Reaves naturally became somewhat of an untouchable piece for the Lakers. However, after a somewhat disappointing season for the team overall, I can't help but think how much that sentiment around Reaves has begun to change (perhaps even as a necessity).

Even though I don't believe the Lakers are going to aggressively shop Reaves on the open market, I also don't believe he's as untouchable of a piece as he was a year ago. If the right offer becomes available, and the Lakers have to include Reaves in a potential package for an All-Star player, I can't imagine the Lakers are going to hesitate all that much in pulling the trigger.

Heading into the offseason, the team should be prepared for the scenario in which they do end up parting ways with the talented Reaves. If it ends up significantly upgrading the Lakers' roster, it's something that could work out for the franchise in the long run.