Austin Reaves’ agent addresses trade rumors after Christmas Day game winner

Austin Reaves was a spectacular Christmas Day win for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Golden State Warriors. He posted a triple-double – 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists – and had the hero moment for LA when he scored off the dribble in the final seconds to give them the win.

Reaves has had many great performances for the Lakers in his first three years, but this one shines in a unique way given the situation. He helped take over a primetime game when Anthony Davis was sidelined with an injury and scored in most situations when LeBron James didn’t have the ball.

This performance also came amid some relentless trade rumors. The Lakers have long been the subject of intense trade rumors, and these have always affected the non-LeBron and Davis players on the roster. So Reaves’ agent – Aaron Reilly of AMR Agency – took to social media to lambast fans for wanting Reaves to be traded in favor of another “star” player:

Now people can see why it’s valuable. He is the third option and ensures that everyone on the pitch is happy, but can also take over if necessary.

If he had this usage in every game, that would be the norm. But he plays within his role. Everyone longs to be traded for a ball-dominant player… https://t.co/TPUCnGIH8g

— Aaron Reilly (@AMRAgency) December 26, 2024

The trade that Reilly appears to be specifically referring to in this post is that involving Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. LA has been linked to LaVine for years, but it appears the Bulls and Lakers are at an impasse over Reaves. Without him, Chicago doesn’t seem to have a deal with the Lakers that he likes, and LA probably won’t take him.

Still, that hasn’t stopped some fans from calling for LaVine’s arrival in LA, as he’s still an elite scorer despite a big contract and some injury history.

But it appears the Lakers are on Reilly’s side as what Reaves brings to the Lakers is too important to trade him for someone like LaVine. If the Lakers were to trade Reaves, which remains unlikely, it would have to be for a true championship-level upgrade.

Austin Reaves became emotional after the win on Christmas Day

After the Christmas game, all the focus was on Austin Reaves, who has actually started to establish himself as a legitimate starting player in the NBA.

And in his postgame interview, Reaves spoke about the moments immediately after the win, saying it was a rare wave of emotion for him given the context of the situation.

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