Austin Reaves returns for Lakers before NBA trade deadline

NEW YORK — For the previous six weeks, Austin Reaves wasn’t just fighting to get back onto the court after being sidelined by a strained left calf that he suffered in the Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets.

He was also fighting off boredom.

“Sitting on the bench sucks,” Reaves said. “All I did for the month-and-a-half was yell at the refs. It’s no fun. It’s better to yell at them on the court.”

Reaves was able to get back to making his grievances with officials known in his more preferred method on Tuesday night when he returned to the court from a 19-game absence in the Lakers’ 125-109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

“It’s good to be back out there and run around, feel the energy and play the game I love,” Reaves said.

With Tuesday’s victory, the Lakers ended their “Grammy” trip 5-3 since starting the swing two weeks ago to move to 30-19 on the season. 

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The Lakers, and Reaves, were being cautious after Reaves missed 22 of 24 games because of an injury to his left calf. The 27-year-old guard also sidelined for three games in mid-December because of a left calf ailment before suffering a more significant injury during his second game back.  

Reaves entered the Lakers’ previous two games, Friday’s win over the Wizards and Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, as questionable before being ruled out.

“I wanted to make sure I was 100-percent good,” Reaves said. “Really wanted to play the other night against the Knicks. [I] love playing there. [I] wish I could have been able to get out there and help the team, but [it] just didn’t feel right. Woke up [Tuesday] morning and felt really good and gave it the go right before the game and had fun.”

Reaves could become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and is due for a significant pay raise from the $13.9 million he’s making this season, with the potential to sign a contract that would triple his current salary for 2026-27. 

“All these guys have a lot on their minds because of their contract situations, the trade deadline,” Coach JJ Redick said. “Certainly Austin is in line for a pretty significant raise. Having that confidence in your body is huge.”

Reaves’ numbers in his first game back were modest compared to the All-Star level he was playing at before the calf injuries: 15 points on 3-of-9 shooting (8 of 10 on free throws), four rebounds, a pair of steals and one assist in 21 minutes. He came off the bench and had a playing time restriction after missing a significant amount of time.

But Reaves showed flashes of what he brought to the Lakers before his calf injuries, and what he can provide once he finds his rhythm again.

“He moved great and looked like Austin.  He had three or four really good looks in the first half that didn’t go down, but did a nice job of attacking the basket, getting to the free-throw line.”

One particular sequence stood out in the second half, with the Lakers decisively leading for every minute after the first quarter: after Luka Doncic was trapped by two Brooklyn defenders just after crossing halfcourt, he passed the ball to Rui Hachmura near the middle of the court, kicking off a 4-on-3 possession with the Lakers having the advantage against a Nets defense in rotation. 

Hachimura passed the ball near the free throw line to Jaxson Hayes, who kicked the ball out to Reaves in the left corner. After Brooklyn guard Egor Demin’s errant closeout, Reaves attacked the basket and powered through Nolan Traore for a tough finish at the rim, flexing what appears to be a stronger physique compared to the one he had before the injuries. 

“He got stronger over the summer,” Redick said of Reaves. “We saw the benefits of that throughout the early part of the season. And I know that our performance staff has even worked to strengthen him even more over the last six weeks essentially.”

The possession highlighed the types of advantages Reaves will be able to play against playing alongside not just Doncic, but also LeBron James, as the Lakers hope to become the elite offensive team they were projected to be once they put the roster together over the summer. 

“We’re just gonna be a harder team to guard even than we usually are,” Jake LaRavia said. “Obviously, Austin brings a lot of scoring to the table. And there’s some games where that’s kind of been the struggle, where it’s either been shooting or whatever it is. Adding Austin back to the team, just another player where defenses have to draw a lot of attention to him, it’s gonna be really good for us.”