The Washington Wizards have quietly grown a reputation over the last few years engaging in trade conversations with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Between the Russell Westbrook trade that landed Kyle Kuzma in the DMV, to sending former lottery pick Rui Hachimura to the West Coast, Washington has become a strong trade partner for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers.
And while it's always good to have a strong relationship with teams on the trade market, Washington must avoid the trap that could be getting set in LA this time around.
Wizards must avoid Austin Reaves trade
Austin Reaves has become a talking point around the situation in Los Angeles and considering the red flags surrounding LeBron James future with the historic franchise, that's saying a lot.
Reaves went from being a priority undrafted free agent signing for the Lakers, to now being considered one of the top guards in the league, it makes sense for LA to be trying everything they can to get the playmaker locked in for the future.
However, the Oklahoma product understands his worth and with the Lakers continous lowball offers, its only a matter of time before the guard and his camp begin to seek outside opinions from backcourt needy teams that could offer him the payday he's seeking as long as a position to take on a prominent role on a team.
Now, while that doesn't necessarily point to the Wizards as being a prime candidate to strike a deal with Reaves and the Lakers to land the guard in D.C., but they are a team that plenty of eyes are turning towards.
Washington is set to have plenty of cap space to make a huge move next offseason and with the team looking for a star player to build around in hopes of getting back in the mix, they could potentially be a suitor for Reaves.
And with young assets and veterans on the roster, the Lakers could look at the Wizards as a potential trade suitor.
Despite that, the Wizards must refrain from falling into the Lakers' trap.
The Wizards need to focus on the young players they have on the roster and prioritize being patient with their rebuild and adding the right pieces to the puzzle.
Focusing on the development of their young core and maintaining patience to see everything through with the players is far more important than offloading assets and cap space to land a player like Reaves who won't exactly do much to get them back in the mix of the East.