NBA players who were restricted free agents this past summer and re-signed with their teams officially became trade eligible on Jan. 15, which for the Los Angeles Lakers is Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
The unrestricted free agents that the Lakers signed became trade eligible on Dec. 15, and that’s a long list that includes D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes.
That means that every player on the Lakers roster is eligible to be traded except for Anthony Davis and Jarred Vanderbilt, who signed extensions last summer and earned trade provisions for one year because of it.
This is an important day considering all of the potential moves the Lakers have been linked to in recent weeks. With the team hovering around .500 halfway through the regular season, it is clear that the Lakers need to make some roster upgrades if they want to get back into championship contention.
The Lakers have already been linked to some of the stars around the league that could become available between now and the deadline such as Zach LaVine and Dejounte Murray.
Any big move that the Lakers make, they will need to find a way to match salaries for the player they are bringing in. With that being the case, Reaves’ $13.5 million salary and Hachimura’s $17 million salary may need to be a part of the deal.
Both Reaves and Hachimura are talented young players with value around the league, so their names will naturally be in trade talks if the Lakers want to make the upgrades they are looking for.
While the Lakers would likely prefer to keep both Reaves and Hachimura and trade some of their other salaries like Russell and Vincent, they may not be able to pull off any meaningful roster upgrades without parting with at least one of the first two.
Now that Reaves and Hachimura are both eligible to be trade, talks with the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks or other teams could heat up at any time.
Lakers have not discussed trading Austin Reaves
The Lakers and Hawks have already begun discussing a potential trade for Murray, who is a Klutch Sports client and would fit well in L.A.’s backcourt.
It may take parting with Reaves in order to get that deal across the finish line, although to this point the Lakers have not discussed that possibility.
Reaves has one of the better contracts in the league right now, so it would take more than just Murray to get the Lakers to part with him.
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