Austin Reaves‘ future with the Los Angeles Lakers will be a talking point throughout the season. He has two years remaining on his current four-year $53.8 million deal. However, there is a player option for the 2026-27 season.
Reaves will likely decline that option and explore his options in search of a pay rise with additional guaranteed years. It’s still likely that he ends up staying with the Lakers. During a recent episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared his expectation that Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers when the time arises.
“I do think that it is an interesting situation that they’re in, which is that literally nobody on this team is truly locked in other than Luka,” Windhorst said. “Hachimura is under contract, Vanderbilt is under contract, but those aren’t guys that the Lakers couldn’t move off if they tried. They’re not core players. I suspect Austin Reaves, strongly, is going to get re-signed but they’re in this sort of nether region.”
Since signing with the Lakers as an undrafted rookie in 2021, Reaves has emerged as a key part of the franchise’s offensive system. His ability to scale his production and slot between stars will be essential to the Lakers’ team building. Therefore, it’s hard to envision them letting him walk away in free agency.
Reaves Could Earn North of $40 Million Per Year
During a recent episode of “The Zach Lowe Show” podcast, The Athletic’s Dan Woike noted that Reaves could command north of $40 million per year on his next deal, assuming he has another impressive season for the Lakers.
“If he plays well, there will be offers north of $40 million for him,” Woike said. “With the cap jump, his max from another team starts around $42 million. It’s him and Trae Young — those are the free agents everyone’s watching.”
If Reaves does sign a deal in the region of $40 million, his salary will jump roughly $24 million per year. He’s earning $13.9 million this season. And if the Lakers aren’t willing to offer that much, but other teams are, Reaves could find himself swapping teams in the near future.
Lakers’ Reaves Could Earn a Max Contract
According to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks, Reaves could be in line for a max contract. A deal of that nature would represent 25% of the Lakers’ overall salary cap.
“If Reaves bypasses the extension and becomes a free agent, the Lakers and teams with cap space would be allowed to sign him next offseason to a contract worth up to 25% of the salary cap. His first-year starting salary in that contract would be $42.5 million,” Marks wrote.
Reaves has proven himself to be a core piece of the Lakers’ puzzle. And, with LeBron James‘ expected to retire in the near future, Reaves could have an even bigger role to play in the coming years. For that reason, it’s likely the Lakers will pay whatever is necessary to keep him with the franchise.
After all, not only is Reaves a fan-favorite, but he’s also one of the most reliable contributors on the roster.
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