Inside Bill Simmons’ Shocking Lakers Trade Prediction That Could Change the NBA Overnight

Bill Simmons tossing out a prediction about Austin Reaves getting traded feels a bit like watching a soothsayer at a sporting event—except this one’s armed with stats, insider whispers, and a knack for reading the NBA’s chessboard better than most. The Los Angeles Lakers signed Reaves at a bargain, a diamond in the rough who rose from undrafted obscurity to a dependable, if unspectacular, contributor. Now, with a fat contract extension looming and cap space tighter than a locked-in buzzer beater, the question arises: can the purple and gold juggle paying Luka Doncic, keep LeBron James happy, and hold onto their scrappy third option? Simmons says nope, and frankly, it’s got that “you watched this coming” vibe — but the real kicker is what the Lakers might net in return. Could this trade actually end up making the Mavericks look like they missed the boat big time? Stick around—this saga is just getting juicy.

The Los Angeles Lakers had high hopes for Austin Reaves.

They signed him to a great value in his last contract, as he was projected to make much more somewhere else.

But now, however, his days in Southern California might be coming to an end.

Reaves will be in for a big payday in his next contract extension.

He can opt out and fetch a lucrative deal as a free agent, and with Luka Doncic‘s impending contract extension, it might be difficult to pay everybody.

On top of that, he didn’t look good at all in the playoffs, raising questions about his future with the organization.

With that in mind, Bill Simmons of The Ringer predicted that they will look to move him in the offseason (via NBA Central):

“When Reaves gets traded this summer — and he WILL get traded – the stuff they [Lakers] get back for him is gonna make it seem worse that they [Mavericks] didn’t get him in the trade,” he said.

Bill Simmons predicts that the Lakers will trade Austin Reaves

"When Reaves gets traded this summer — and he WILL get traded – the stuff they [Lakers] get back for him is gonna make it seem worse that they [Mavericks] didn't get him in the trade."

(h/t @RTNBA ) pic.twitter.com/RKfeIzyqOi

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 12, 2025

Reaves has been with the Lakers since they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas.

He climbed his way up from a two-way contract to becoming a starter.

While not a superstar, Reaves has proven to be a versatile and dynamic player who’s going to play hard on both ends of the floor.

He’s had some huge performances without LeBron James or Luka Doncic, and he emerged as one of the most underrated third options in the league at one point.

Granted, he struggled mightily against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but there’s more than enough footage of him excelling in the playoffs.

Still, if LeBron James doesn’t take a pay cut to help the team compete while he’s still there, it will be hard to keep all three stars.

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