Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers has been playing some terrific basketball lately.
Because of that, the Atlanta Hawks would reportedly love to acquire him as part of any trade that sends Dejounte Murray to Los Angeles.
But on Monday’s episode of “Undisputed,” Skip Bayless defended the Lakers and said he would hold onto Reaves if he was the team’s front office.
“I’m not giving up Austin Reaves. I’m just not going to do it. He’s just too good. He knows how to play basketball. He closes for you,” Bayless proclaimed.
“I’m not giving up Austin Reaves, I like this team!”@RealSkipBayless is high on the Lakers despite their 26-25 record thru 51 games pic.twitter.com/YF7WHIrqP2
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 5, 2024
Bayless was really impressed by the work that he saw from the Lakers over their last two games.
They just beat the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, two of the best teams in the league, despite a number of injuries that had depleted the roster.
Reaves was huge in both games, scoring 32 against the Celtics and 22 against the Knicks.
After an up-and-down start to the season, Reaves once again looks like a proven starter and a crucial part of the team, both offensively and defensively.
Those injuries, however, have put the Lakers in a tough spot.
They are now without Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Reddish has been out since the end of January, while Vincent has been away for weeks.
As for Vanderbilt, he might miss the rest of the season because of a nasty foot injury.
All of that has put pressure on the Lakers to make trades to fill the voids left by those three players.
And while they have a few stars who could be included in deals, teams like the Hawks and others will want to land Reaves.
Bayless is pleading with the Lakers to not send the young guard away, and many Lakers fans are as well.
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