De'Aaron Fox is a better basketball player than Austin Reaves. We can get that part out of the way from the start. There is no real statistical argument otherwise. Even the most optimistic projections of Reaves' increasingly bright future have to acknowledge that Fox has physical gifts that he simply does not.

Among the reasons why the Lakers are not Fox’s preferred destination: Klutch has direct knowledge of many Lakers dealings thanks to its representation of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.