The Los Angeles Lakers are set to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Regretfully, Austin Reaves, the Lakers’ third-best star, will still be absent. Reaves has missed three straight games due to a calf strain and will miss his fourth game against the Grizzlies.
Ahead of the team’s two-game road trip, the Lakers received underwhelming news about the undrafted guard. According to coach JJ Redick, Reaves will miss the team’s games against the New Orleans Pelicans (Tuesday) and San Antonio Spurs (Wednesday). Redick confirmed that the starting guard will remain in LA to continue his rehab.
Reaves isn’t the only one who will miss the Lakers’ road trip. Forward Rui Hachimura will also be in LA with the starting shooting guard to recover from a right calf strain. Hachimura has missed two consecutive games and will not suit up against the Grizzlies.
“Lakers coach JJ Redick said Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura will miss upcoming trip to New Orleans (Tuesday) and San Antonio (Wednesday). Austin and Rui will stay in LA to continue their rehab work,” Mark Medina reported on X.
Reaves has been one of the best surprises for the Lakers. Through 23 games, he’s averaged 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Hachimura, meanwhile, has provided stability for LA, averaging 12.7 points on 44.5% shooting from deep through 27 games.
Zach Lowe predicts Austin Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers
Austin Reaves’ future with the Lakers is unsure. Despite playing like an All-Star this season, there hasn’t been a definite answer about what could happen in his tenure with LA. Although ESPN’s Zach Lowe predicted that Reaves could re-sign with the team, he thinks that the 6-foot-5 guard could still be traded.
The league insider talked about it on the latest episode of “The Zach Lowe Show.”
“My bet would be the Lakers keep him. I think here’s my Austin Reaves bet,” Lowe said. “They keep him. They re-sign him over the summer. I’ll be even more specific than that. I bet he takes slightly less than max to stay in LA, even though I think he could get the max other places. That’s just my sort of six-months-out prediction for how this could resolve itself.”
Reaves is due for a contract extension and could exercise his $14.8 million player option in the summer.
