NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers won't move Austin Reaves for 2x All-Star shooting 43.6% from 3 

The LA Lakers remain hellbent on keeping Austin Reaves. The latest NBA trade rumors suggest the team is unwilling to move the fourth-year guard for two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, who is averaging 21.7 points on 49.8% shooting, including 43.6% from 3. The Lakers have been linked to LaVine for over a year, but including Reaves in the package seems to have been the stumbling block since the start.

On top of that, the other pieces LA has don't fit on the Bulls. Here's what insider Joe Crawley wrote:

"There have been whispers about the Lakers for over a year now, but a source said that the pieces that would have to be swapped don’t fit, and Los Angeles remains steadfast that Austin Reaves isn’t going to be included."

Austin Reaves has emerged as the Lakers' undisputed third-best player in his young career. He's averaging a career-high in points this season, tallying 17.0 per game, shooting on 44/35/80 splits. Reaves' usage rate has also improved to 22.0% under new coach JJ Redick.

The 26-year-old is now promoted to a full-time point guard role after Redick demoted D'Angelo Russell to the bench, so it makes sense why LA wishes to hold onto its priced asset.

The LA Lakers also don't seem too high on the top-heavy model after the negative impact the Russell Westbrook trade had on the team in the short and long run.

Lakers' Austin Reaves chances of getting traded slim down after Christmas Day exploits

Austin Reaves hasn't been discussed in potential packages the LA Lakers may have drawn internally for their coveted targets. However, if there was any chance they may have discussed him as a bargaining chip, those ideas may have been put to bed after the fourth-year guard's exploits in Wednesday's 115-113 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Filling in the gigantic void left behind by the injured Anthony Davis, who left the game after seven minutes of action with a left ankle injury, Reaves dropped a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Warriors.

Not just that, he put the cherry on top with the game-winning layup. Reaves came up clutch amid an eight-point blitz from Steph Curry that swung the momentum in the Warriors' favor as they tied things up at 118-118. However, Reaves put the game to bed after getting Andrew Wiggins to bite on a jab step and beating him off the dribble for his 26th point of the night.

Several players have failed to deliver and sustain the pressure of playing next to LeBron James in a Lakers uniform over the past six years, but Austin Reaves is seemingly not among them. He's consistently proven his mettle as a clutch player, which is worth retaining as one of the team's core players.