Austin Reaves went from being an undrafted rookie fighting for minutes to a max-contract player. Now the Lakers are treating him accordingly. He will now have a personal trainer to help keep him as healthy as possible.
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, former Lakers strength coach Ed Streit will serve as Reaves’ dedicated trainer this season.
Austin Reaves said one of the big things he learned from LeBron James was the work he put in to stay available. Related, Reaves will have a dedicated trainer this season, former Lakers strength coach Ed Streit, per sources.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) September 28, 2026
This arrangement further demonstrates how much his standing within the organization has grown. This setup is similar to the relationship longtime trainer Mike Mancias had with LeBron James and the one Anze Macek has with Luka Doncic. Those are significant comparisons considering the level of individualized attention teams devote to their franchise players.
Investing in Reaves’ Health
Reaves signed a four-year, $184 million contract this offseason after having the best year of his career. He averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. He proved himself as one of the league’s top guards and building a strong offensive partnership with Doncic.
But the season also demonstrated why keeping Reaves healthy has become such a priority for Los Angeles. Two separate injuries limited him to 51 regular-season games, while he also missed four playoff contests.
Those absences prevented Reaves from meeting the games-played requirement for postseason awards. Injuries interrupted a season that could have put him in position for his first All-Star and All-NBA honors. After committing $184 million to Reaves this summer, the Lakers have plenty of incentive to make sure their investment is on the floor as much as possible.
A trainer dedicated specifically to Reaves is another step toward that. It’s the type of individualized attention that has traditionally been associated with the league’s biggest stars, including two players Reaves knows particularly well: James and Doncic.
Franchise Player Treatment
The Lakers aren’t simply paying Reaves like one of their stars. They’re increasingly supporting him like one, adding a dedicated trainer that represents another level of investment in their max player.
That approach clearly has financial motivation after the team committed $184 million to Reaves. Keeping him healthy has become one of the organization’s most important priorities.
The Lakers also have a basketball reason to devote additional resources to Reaves’ health. With James no longer in Los Angeles, Reaves and Doncic are positioned as the foundation of the Lakers’ offense, making their availability crucial to what the team hopes to accomplish this season.
For years, Reaves watched James receive specialized attention designed to maximize his availability, while Doncic has a similar setup with Macek. Reaves now having his own dedicated trainer puts him in similar territory and shows how differently the organization views him than when he first arrived in Los Angeles.
Reaves is no longer simply one of the NBA’s best undrafted success stories or a complementary player who developed into a starter. After signing him to a four-year, $184 million contract, the Lakers are treating him like a franchise cornerstone and making sure their max player has every resource possible to stay healthy.
