Austin Reaves finally bares emotions on Lakers losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura

Nairavoice | Oct 5, 2026 2h ago 278 0 3 min read

74018cc6459cd9ccb7450d1f858e63a4 Austin Reaves finally bares emotions on Lakers losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura

Austin Reaves finally bares emotions on Lakers losing LeBron James, Rui Hachimura originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have undergone an overhaul entering the 2026-27 NBA season. LeBron James will no longer be with the squad. Other key contributors with very specific skill sets were also let go, including Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes. A major holdover who will still be a staple when Luka Doncic fully takes the reins is Austin Reaves. How does he feel amid all of these changes while seeing former teammates don new jerseys?

Reaves bares emotions on Lakers’ departures James, Hachimura, Hayes, and Ayton

Austin Reaves is entering Year 6 of his NBA career. Ever since he went undrafted, the only organization that he has ever known is the Lakers. He came in 2021, a year after they dismantled the championship core. His role eventually grew as he shared the court with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Eventually, he saw Davis get traded for Luka Doncic, which also required a complete overhaul. Just a year and a half later, Reaves also had to deal with James leaving in free agency to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

There are obviously a lot of tough feelings that Reaves had to deal with amid seeing these departures. Despite no longer having James, Davis, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, and Jaxson Hayes, the six-year veteran remains optimistic about the Lakers’ future, via Dan Woike of The Athletic.

“Really excited about what we have. Being around guys for years- Bron, Rui, Jaxson- you know, it’s tough to see those guys go. You build real relationships with them on and off the court. That part of it sucks, but the guys that we brought in are high-character guys who know the game of basketball, good people off the court,” Reaves declared.

These departures also mean new faces will be sharing the floor with Reaves and Doncic. During the offseason, the Lakers also got busy in acquiring new talents. Walker Kessler joined them through a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili followed suit after. Jaden Hardy also joined the Lakers after a trade with the Washington Wizards for Ayton.

AUSTIN REAVES TONIGHT: 51 POINTS 11 REBOUNDS 9 ASSISTS 12/22 FG 6/10 3PT 21/22 FT https://t.co/hQQPpKfNik
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 27, 2025

While Reaves’ heart may still sink after seeing some of his long-time Lakers teammates leave, he seems to have already built a strong bond with the new guys in Coach JJ Redick’s system. All they needed was a training camp in Slovenia.

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“And like I said, going to Slovenia was a good opportunity for us all to get to know each other and continue moving forward to build that every single day. So, it’ll be fun,” the Lakers guard added.

A lot remains to be seen for the Lakers. Uncertainty remains about how they’ll fill the James-sized hole in their schemes. It is also a question of whether Kessler will be the championship-contending center fans and analysts alike believe he can be. For now, all that matters is that team chemistry seems high in Coach Redick’s Lakers system.