Oklahoma Professional Athletes

Austin Reaves: Oklahoma's Man in Hollywood

The post-LeBron Lakers have a new cornerstone, and he's a kid from Newark, Arkansas who walked on at Oklahoma. Austin Reaves's $41 million contract extension made it official this offseason: he's not just a fan favorite — he's a franchise pillar alongside Luka Doncic as Los Angeles retools for its next chapter.

The buzz around Reaves this week has been equal parts hype and skepticism. On the positive side, the Lakers announced a Reaves bobblehead night for December — a cultural barometer of fan investment — and new teammate Collin Sexton wasted no time singing his praises, opening up about the qualities that set Reaves apart from the typical shooting guard. Sexton's early admiration matters: it signals locker-room buy-in for a player who will shoulder a heavier offensive load than ever before.

Projections are equally bullish. Yahoo Sports floated whether this could be the season Reaves forces his way back into All-Star conversation, while Heavy Sports confirmed he is one of just three Lakers players guaranteed major minutes alongside Doncic and center Walker Kessler. For a player who once had to fight for a roster spot, that's a remarkable arc.

The doubters, however, are loud. A recent NBA champion delivered a blunt championship warning, arguing the current Lakers roster — Reaves and Doncic included — isn't yet built to win a title. Norman Powell went further, labeling the Lakers the league's most overrated team. And before the season has even tipped off, trade rumors are already being floated: Heavy Sports reported that Reaves could become a trade chip if Los Angeles struggles under the weight of his new deal and inflated expectations.

The front-office backdrop adds another layer of turbulence. The franchise itself changed hands this offseason in a $12.5 billion sale, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver publicly defending new owner Mark Walter following a federal investigation. Stability at the top will matter as JJ Redick navigates a roster built to win now.

The basketball questions are real. Trade pitches targeting an All-Defensive wing to shore up the roster specifically avoided packaging Reaves — a telling sign of his untouchable status. But a bad trade update on a $48 million 3-and-D target this week was a reminder that roster construction around Doncic and Reaves remains a work in progress.

---

Jeremiah Fears: Growing Pains in New Orleans

Reaves isn't the only Sooner with something to prove this season. Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears enters Year 2 in New Orleans at a pivotal crossroads. A Sports Illustrated deep-dive this week drew comparisons between Fears and a young Chris Paul — not as a ceiling prediction, but as a developmental framework for what a second season in the league demands from a young point guard still finding his footing. The Pelicans are counting on Fears and fellow sophomore Derik Queen to grow up fast.

---

Around the League

Buddy Hield, now with the Hawks after his time with Golden State ended at the trade deadline, remains a peripheral name in league transactions. A Heavy Sports report on Kristaps Porzingis confirmed the Warriors acquired Porzingis from Atlanta in the same deal that sent Hield to Golden State — a transaction that has now fully reshuffled where the veteran sharpshooter calls home.

Trae Young, meanwhile, continues his tenure with Washington. The Wizards' rebuild keeps the former Sooner superstar out of the playoff spotlight for now, though his name remains one of the most recognizable in the league.

The week belonged to Reaves. Whether Hollywood's newest franchise star can survive the scrutiny of a $41 million price tag — and a fanbase hungry for a title — will be the defining Oklahoma story of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Oklahoma's NBA alumni had a headline-grabbing week, with Austin Reaves locking up his future in Los Angeles and Trae Young's blockbuster trade to Washington continuing to reshape the offseason conversation.

Reaves Gets Paid — and Stays Put in LA

The biggest Sooner news of the week was official: Austin Reaves signed a maximum contract extension to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal cements him as Luka Doncic's primary running mate heading into the 2026-27 season — a pairing the Lakers are clearly betting their post-LeBron future on.

The offseason has been a whirlwind for Los Angeles. LeBron James departed in free agency, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Lakers added Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade to bolster the frontcourt. That leaves Reaves and Doncic as the franchise's twin anchors, and both seem comfortable in that role. Doncic has publicly declared himself the team's leader and said the roster now has what it was "missing" when he arrived, while Reaves has been spotted vacationing before training camp opens.

Not everyone is sold on the new-look Lakers, though. Heavy Sports cited at least one analyst who named Los Angeles among the teams that "blew it" this offseason — a pointed critique given the decision to keep Reaves while letting LeBron walk. Robert Horry, meanwhile, made waves by calling Walker Kessler, not Doncic or Reaves, the true "key" to whether this team contends. Derek Fisher offered the counterpoint, predicting the trio of Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler keeps LA firmly in playoff contention.

Oklahoma fans don't need to worry about where Reaves stands — he's max-contract money in Hollywood, and the Sooner faithful have every right to enjoy it.

Trae Young's Wizards Chapter — and the Trade That Wasn't

Meanwhile, the ripple effects from Trae Young's trade from the Atlanta Hawks to the Washington Wizards are still being felt around the league. This week, it emerged that the Sacramento Kings had been offered Young in exchange for Zach LaVine — and passed. According to James Ham of the Locked On Kings podcast, Sacramento declined the deal, leaving Washington to ultimately land the former OU star.

The Kings' reasoning, per reporting from ClutchPoints, centered on fit and roster direction — LaVine represented a different kind of asset, and Sacramento wasn't willing to make that swap. Atlanta, for its part, has continued building around the margins since moving on from Young, and the Hawks reportedly rode a hot late-season stretch into the playoffs after the trade cleared the books.

For Young, Washington represents a fresh start. The Wizards are clearly in rebuild mode, and the two-time All-Star will be expected to be the centerpiece of that project — for better or worse.

The OU Pipeline

With Reaves and Young both headlining offseason storylines, it's a strong moment for the Oklahoma NBA alumni network. Buddy Hield remains with the Atlanta Hawks, and Jeremiah Fears is with the New Orleans Pelicans — though neither generated major news this cycle. The Reaves payday and the Young trade chatter are more than enough to keep Sooner fans checking box scores come October.

Austin Reaves is no longer a supporting character. With LeBron James gone to Philadelphia and the Lakers fully committed to building around Luka Doncic, the Oklahoma alum enters the 2026-27 season as the unquestioned second option on one of the NBA's most scrutinized rosters — and with that elevation comes a new level of pressure, trade speculation, and skepticism.

Cornerstone — For Now

The Lakers spent the offseason reinforcing the Doncic-Reaves pairing, adding center Walker Kessler via trade and signing multiple free agents to flesh out the rotation. According to Heavy Sports, Reaves is currently considered untouchable by the front office, with the organization viewing him as a core piece alongside Doncic heading into training camp. Dirk Nowitzki has already weighed in with a bold endorsement of the Doncic era, and Bronny James — who attended Doncic's minicamp in Slovenia in August — is being integrated into the same lineup group that features Reaves.

The projected starting five, per Heavy Sports, locks in Doncic, Reaves, Kessler, and Quentin Grimes, with the fifth spot still unsettled as training camp approaches.

The Trade Noise Won't Quit

Despite his "untouchable" status internally, Reaves' name keeps surfacing in trade speculation. Heavy Sports has linked him to two separate potential deals — one involving a 24-year-old superstar power forward, another centered on a 6'10" franchise-face wing — as rival teams probe whether L.A. could be moved off him in exchange for a more physically imposing two-way piece. The Lakers' ongoing search for a starting wing (after missing on Jonathan Kuminga, who signed with Minnesota) has only amplified the rumors.

None of these deals appear imminent, but the volume of speculation reflects a broader question: Is Reaves — a high-IQ scorer with shooting gravity — the right co-star for Doncic in a playoff environment, or does the pairing need a bigger, more versatile wing?

Warnings From All Directions

The scrutiny isn't limited to trade desks. The Sporting News has flagged a significant production concern: without LeBron commanding defensive attention, Reaves will face far more focused coverage as a primary option. Defenders no longer have to choose their poison — Reaves becomes the poison, and elite defenses will game-plan accordingly.

A Lakers legend (cited by The Sporting News) also issued a sobering historical note: the franchise's track record in the post-LeBron transition periods isn't encouraging, a warning that lands squarely on the shoulders of the new Doncic-Reaves leadership tandem.

Heavy Sports has separately noted that Reaves' defensive limitations could see him pushed to the bench in high-leverage late-game situations, a role adjustment that would carry both competitive and narrative consequences for a player looking to cement himself as a genuine star.

The OU Product's Defining Season

For Sooners fans, this is the chapter they've been waiting to see. Reaves has defied expectations at every level since leaving Norman, and the 2026-27 season represents the most significant test yet: Can he sustain production, handle primary-option scrutiny, and hold his roster spot against a front office that hasn't stopped shopping? The answers start at training camp.

Austin Reaves, From Second Option to Cornerstone

LeBron James is gone. And if the reports are accurate, he wasn't thrilled about what came before his exit.

According to The Sporting News, James grew irritated during his final Lakers season about deferring to Austin Reaves — the kid from Newark, Arkansas who arrived in Hollywood as an undrafted afterthought and turned himself into a franchise pillar. The internal friction reportedly contributed to a rift that ultimately hastened LeBron's departure to Philadelphia. The irony is hard to miss: the player James reportedly bristled at deferring to is now the unquestioned veteran presence in the Lakers' new-look core.

That core, built around Luka Dončić, now has Reaves at its side. The two are already clicking off the court, too — a video from a recent fan autograph session caught Reaves signing his name directly on Dončić's arm, a goofy bit that's exactly the kind of loose, confident chemistry the Lakers are banking on. It's a small moment, but it signals something real: this is Reaves's team in a way it has never quite been before.

The Roster Puzzle Around Him

The Lakers aren't done building. The front office has been in active trade discussions for a 46 million dollar ex-Warriors champion — a young, ascending piece to slot alongside Dončić and Reaves and round out the starting five, per The Sporting News. One scenario on the table involves packaging Jaden Hardy to land him, a calculated bet that depth is worth sacrificing for upside.

The calculus is straightforward: Dončić is the star, Reaves is the engine who makes the system breathable, and the Lakers need a third credible weapon. That's what the trade pursuit is about.

Meanwhile, Bronny James's roster spot is drawing scrutiny. With LeBron no longer in the building, the sentiment protection around his son evaporates. Analysts have urged the Lakers to move on from Bronny if he can't hold his own in a rotation featuring Dončić and Reaves — a cold but fair standard for a team that is no longer in rebuilding mode.

The Bigger Picture for Sooner Nation

For Oklahoma fans, Reaves's ascent is one of the more satisfying stories in recent college basketball alumni lore. He was never supposed to be here — not at this level, not in this role. Now he's the throughline in every major Lakers storyline of the offseason, from the LeBron fallout to the front office's trade maneuvering to questions about who else can survive on this roster alongside him.

The other Sooners in the league news cycle are conspicuously quiet by comparison. Trae Young, now in Washington, and Buddy Hield in Atlanta are each navigating their own situations — but neither is generating the kind of gravitational pull that Reaves is commanding in Los Angeles right now.

It's Reaves's moment. And based on everything coming out of the Lakers' orbit this week, he has earned every bit of it.