Lakers Standing Firm on $54 Million Player Blocking Potential De’Aaron Fox Trade

The Los Angeles Lakers are not on Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox‘s preferred list of destinations despite his strong ties via Klutch Sports, whose top clients are the franchise stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Jake Fischer reported on “The Stein Line” Substack newsletter that one player on the Lakers roster is the holdup in a potential Fox trade.

“Among the reasons why the Lakers are not Fox’s preferred destination: Klutch has direct knowledge of many Lakers dealings thanks to its representation of LeBron James and Anthony Davis,” Fischer wrote.

“Which means Klutch knows, as sources tell The Stein Line, that the Lakers have zero intention of parting with Sacramento’s presumed top target in any Fox discussions: Austin Reaves.”

The Lakers have rebuffed trade inquiries on Reaves since last year’s NBA trade deadline.

In the weeks leading to the February trade deadline, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained in detail why the Lakers have made Reaves untouchable.

“I can’t imagine a better role player because [Reaves] has the trust of those two guys [LeBron James and Anthony Davis],” McMenamin said on the January 8 episode “The Lowe Post” podcast. “He has the confidence of those two guys. He’s been a proven playoff performer. He has the trust and the kind support of the Buss family — the brothers who identified him in the draft process and Governor Jeanie. That’s a point of pride for her to have someone like Austin Reeves who was a homegrown Laker organization product [and] become a star.”

The 24-year-old Reaves is on the second season of a four-year, $54 million contract, which is considered one of the best-value deals in the NBA. He is one of the success stories in the league after going undrafted in 2021.

Austin Reaves Breaks Out Under JJ Redick

Reaves’ agent, Aaron Reilly, was one of those who celebrated the hiring of JJ Redick as the Lakers head coach.

“This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game [that] none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar [expletive]. Great hire for LA – going to be a big year next season,” Reilly wrote in a post on X in June last year.

True enough, Redick handed the backcourt keys of the Lakers to Redick, demoting D’Angelo Russell to the bench who was later traded.

The 26-year-old Reaves has blossomed into the Lakers’ third star behind James and Davis. Reaves is averaging career-high in scoring (18.2), assists (6.1), steals (1.1) and minutes played (34.9) in 41 games this season.

Lakers Missing Out on De’Aaron Fox for the Second Time

The Lakers had a chance to select Fox in the 2017 NBA Draft but they opted for hometown kid Lonzo Ball, the former UCLA star, at No. 2.

Fox eventually fell to the Kings at No. 5 even after he exploded for 39 points against Ball, leading Kentucky over UCLA in their Sweet 16 matchup to advance to the Elite Eight.

Ball was later packaged by the Lakers to acquire Davis while Fox became an All-Star and All-NBA player in 2023. He was also named the NBA Clutch Player of the Year in 2023.

Now, the Lakers are missing out again on Fox, whose preferred destination is their old rival San Antonio Spurs, according to multiple reports from Fischer, Sam Amick of The Athletic, former ESPN senior reporter Zach Lowe and James Ham of ESPN1320 Sacramento.

Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo