After years of losing seasons, the Utah Jazz need to swing the pendulum a bit in their favor. The Jazz have been rebuilding for about three years now, as they’ve yet to win at least 40 games since the 2021-22 season. While the Jazz had a horrible record last year at 17-65, they need to start adding players. Typically, this isn’t a great idea, but the thought process here is that the Jazz just need to avoid a never-ending rebuild.
While trading for someone already in their 30s still might not make sense, Austin Reaves could be the perfect trade target. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they’re not in need of having another scorer at guard.
With Luka Doncic now on the roster, they need someone who can play complementary to him, which Reaves didn’t do a great job of last season. Below, we’ll break down why the Lakers’ trading Reaves to the Jazz makes a ton of sense and what they should expect in return.
Austin Reaves Trade Proposal
Utah Jazz Receive: Austin Reaves
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Walker Kessler, 2032 1st Round Pick
This trade makes sense for a number of reasons, although the Jazz would hate to see Walker Kessler due to the fact that he’s just 24 years old. However, the Jazz need to start acquiring more proven players, and Kessler hasn’t been elite by any means so far.
For the Lakers, they get to sure up their front court with better depth while also netting a first-round pick. Making a move like this allows the Lakers to stay in contention while also building towards a future with Doncic.
Why Austin Reaves Makes Sense For The Utah Jazz
For the Jazz, Reaves gives them a much-needed scoring threat in the front court. Last season, Reaves took a big leap with the Lakers in terms of his scoring. Through 73 games, Reaves had 20.2 PPG to go along with 5.8 AST and 1.1 STL. Reaves did this on 34.9 MPG, showing what he can do in a larger role.
How Austin Reaves Fits in Utah
The Jazz would have Isaiah Collier, Reaves, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, and Kyle Filipowski if they made this move. While it’s not an elite team by any means, it gives them a real shot to win games this year.
At the same time, there are no aging veterans on the starting lineup. With a mix of young players, Markkanen and Reaves, this makes for a good roster.
Utah Jazz 2025-26 Outlook
Adding Reaves to the Jazz wouldn’t make them legitimate contenders overnight. What it would do is put them in the right direction. The difference between what the starting lineup is with and without Reaves is extremely clear. Right now, the Jazz are tied for the worst odds to win the NBA Finals at +100000 per FanDuel.
For reference, that puts the Jazz on the same level as the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, and Portland Trail Blazers. If the Jazz were able to add Reaves, that would make a big difference and take them out of the bottom of the barrel.
Overall, this seems like a very realistic and fair trade for both sides. While it’s understandable if the Jazz want to keep Kessler, adding Reaves would also make sense. Again, this is just a trade prediction about the Los Angeles Lakers trading Austin Reaves to the Utah Jazz, not a report.
