The Los Angeles Lakers are staring at a 3-0 second-round playoff hole after a 131-108 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, and one offseason idea already being floated is a move involving Austin Reaves. On Sunday, Jovan Buha said the Lakers would need to think seriously about replacing Reaves with Donovan Mitchell if they decide to reshape the roster.
Buha said it would be a big mistake to move on from Reaves without finding another real, high-level ball handler to cover the void. He said that if the Lakers replace him, they cannot simply patch things together with role players, because the team would still be short on a true playmaker. That point lands harder with Luka Doncic inactive for Game 4, leaving the Lakers’ backcourt responsibilities even more exposed at a brutal moment in the series.
Mitchell, a seven-time All-Star guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is averaging 23.3 points per game and is shooting 29.6 percent from three in Cleveland’s second-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons. Buha argued that Mitchell would bring a higher offensive level than Reaves and said his ball-handling and decision-making are cleaner and more decisive. He also said Mitchell’s defense would come with concerns, but that those issues would be partly offset because Mitchell is the better player overall.
The timing matters because the Lakers are being measured not just on this playoff collapse but on whether the roster needs meaningful adjustments before they can be taken seriously as championship contenders. The Reaves-for-Mitchell idea is being discussed as a summer trade possibility, not a confirmed move, but it points to the kind of upgrade the Lakers may need if they want a bigger offensive ceiling. The numbers also show why the conversation is not simple: Reaves remains a useful piece, while Mitchell’s profile comes with a far steeper cost and a very different fit.
That is where the financial side enters. The idea was framed as a trade that could make sense from both a money and on-court standpoint, with the 2025-26 picture carrying salary figures of $150 million, $165 million, $207 million and $186 million in the discussion. The Lakers do not need a rumor to remind them of their shortcomings. Saturday’s loss did that already. The question now is whether they decide that Reaves is part of the answer or part of the price of chasing a higher ceiling.
