Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was all but a lock to make his maiden All-Star and All-NBA teams, besides receiving a huge payday as a free agent this summer. However, with Reaves being ruled out for at least four weeks with a gastrocnemius strain, he could miss out on some well-deserved accolades.
Reaves has already missed six games this season, appearing in 23 of the Lakers’ 29 games. As such, he can afford to miss only 11 more games to maintain eligibility for an All-NBA Team based on the NBA’s new 65-game rule for awards and honors.
The Lakers are slated to play 17 games between Dec. 28 and Jan. 29, which covers the reported four-week Austin Reaves injury timeline, putting the undrafted guard out of contention to make an All-NBA Team or qualify for any awards.
Austin Reaves Projected Payday
The 27-year-old Reaves was also among the leading candidates to win Most Improved Player, with his year-over-year points (20.2 to 26.6), assists (5.8 to 6.3), rebounds (3.7 to 4.5) and FG% (46.0 to 50.7) all seeing substantial jumps. However, Reaves is all but out of contention for the award, making it a three-way race between Portland Trail Blazers‘ Deni Avdija, Atlanta Hawks‘ Jalen Johnson and Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren.
It’s not just the awards and accolades that Reaves could miss out on. The two-guard was in line for a massive payday as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Based on salary cap projections, Reaves can receive either a five-year max deal worth $241M from the Lakers, or a four-year, $$178M deal from another team in free agency.
Reaves will likely still receive a lucrative contract, but he may lose a little bit of leverage and bargaining power in light of his injury. For what it’s worth, Reaves hinted back in November that he could take a pay cut to stay with the Lakers after he rejected a four-year, $89M extension with the franchise this past season.
Lakers Season Takes Major Hit
The Austin Reaves injury serves as a devastating blow to a Lakers team that has lost three consecutive games and six of its last 10. Their recent losing trend comes at a time when there’s chatter of disconnect in the locker room and a potential falling out between senior statesman LeBron James and the Lakers’ coaching staff.
After the Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins hinted that his former teammate, James, may want out of Los Angeles.
“LeBron James and the Lakers, their relationship has run its course,” Perkins told ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday. “And they need to figure out a solution. And the solution is him not being in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.”
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