Cleveland Cavaliers Linked To Trade For Los Angeles Lakers' Fan Favorite

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire this Los Angeles Lakers' fan favorite in a potential Darius Garland trade?

Nov 25, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to make a trade, it's probably going to come during the regular season.

The Cavaliers have decided to essentially stand pat this offseason and are preparing to head into the 2024-25 NBA campaign with their roster intact.

But if things go south for Cleveland during the first half of the season, the Cavs could decide to make a drastic change, which could mean moving Darius Garland.

In that potential scenario, the Los Angeles Lakers have been largely viewed as potential suitors for the star guard, and Tyler Watts of King James Gospel thinks that Lakers wing Austin Reaves would be a good fit in a possible trade.

Reaves is a fan favorite in Los Angeles and really put himself on the map two years ago when he averaged 13 points per game on an incredible true-shooting percentage of 68.7 percent.

The 26-year-old wasn't quite as efficient last season, but he was still largely impressive, registering 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds over 32.1 minutes per game on 48.6/36.7/85.3 shooting splits.

What's more, Reaves appeared in all 82 contests last year.

Offensively, Reaves does a little bit of everything. He isn't a terrific defensive player, but when he is locked in, he can at least hold his own on that end of the floor.

The University of Oklahoma product didn't take the significant step forward many expected in 2023-24, but he is still a very talented swingman who would represent a nice piece in a return trade package for Garland.