For Lakers fans, this offseason has felt like watching a slow-motion train wreck. The front office has been eerily quiet, with almost zero activity on the market. Aside from a coaching change and some rookie additions, the roster is basically a carbon copy of last season’s squad. But, as they say, there’s no use crying over spilled milk—training camp is right around the corner, and all eyes will be on LeBron James as he gears up for another season. But the real intrigue might lie in the futures of Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, both of whom could be on the chopping block for very different reasons.

D’Angelo Russell, entering the final year of his contract after opting into his player option, has become an attractive trade asset. The Lakers will want to avoid losing him for nothing, so it’s no surprise that whispers of D’Lo trades have been swirling. If you’re wondering why his name keeps popping up in trade talks, there’s your answer—he’s prime bait for a midseason move.

Austin Reaves, however, is in a completely different situation. On a recent episode of the Lakers Nation podcast, Trevor Lane broke down Reaves’ contract scenario. “If Austin Reaves had D’Angelo Russell’s contract right now, we’d probably be talking about Austin trades instead of D’Lo,” Lane noted. Unlike Russell, Reaves is locked into a $53 million deal with two more seasons remaining, making him less likely to be shipped out.

Meanwhile, there’s speculation about how the Lakers will shuffle their rotation, with names like Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt potentially playing key roles, especially with new dynamics under head coach Darvin Ham. Whether this roster can surprise everyone remains to be seen, but the storm clouds of potential trades and under-the-radar moves are already brewing.

Discussing the current situation on the gold and purple side of LA, Trevor Lane explained the Austin Reaves’ contract picture. “If Austin Reeves had D’Angelo Russell’s contract right now, rather than talking about D’Lo trades, we’d probably be talking about Austin trades,” the host said. He further highlighted that Reaves still has 2 more seasons in his $53 million contract before discussing how Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt rotation can be key to JJ Redick.

According to Donnie Ballard, Reaves’ contract makes him a rare commodity in the league and that’s why teams mostly enquire about him during potential trade offers. “Austin’s on one of the best value contracts in the entire league in my opinion for the production that he’s giving you,” Ballard said, hinting at 15.9 PPG, which the fans expect to be around 22 at least. This has been a major criticism of Reaves stemming from his inconsistent outputs. But that wasn’t the end of the worries as some more digging into Austin Reaves’ game.

Shocking data involving Austin Reaves comes to the surface as the season edges closer

With Redick now at the helm, the primary focus already was on the Lakers’ need for improvement in the shooting areas, mostly 3-pointers. But defense also needs attention as data shown by Trevor Lane proves. Acknowledging Reaves as one of the top four players on the LAL roster, Lane discussed his defensive issues. “You can see opponents’ free throw rate is very, very low. The Lakers ranked highly in that area, but everywhere else, when Austin’s on the floor, they’re not forcing turnovers,” Lane said, pointing at a data chart that showed FG percentage against him above 50, with extremely low turnover numbers.

“I think that is what most people see as his biggest weakness right now. He can tend to get picked on on the defensive side of the ball,” Lane concluded, leaving huge question marks on Reaves’ defensive game. Looking at the Lakers side, there aren’t many capable defenders apart from Anthony Davis. “LeBron and Rui aren’t doing it. D’Lo’s not obviously as capable as Austin. So Austin winds up being shoehorned into that position. And it’s a similar burden that AD has where all these guys around him where they’re situational defensive players,” Ballard added to the argument. Thus presenting itself as one more headache for the Lakers’ backroom and the answers will be provided once the season tips off.