The Los Angeles Lakers may soon face a difficult decision regarding one of their most important players.
Austin Reaves, who is averaging a career-high 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, is currently sidelined following a Grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain sustained in the Lakers’ loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. Despite the injury, speculation surrounding his future continues to grow.
Reaves has emerged as a potential All-Star this season, and with his contract situation looking increasingly precarious, he is expected to command a significant payday soon.
Lakers Face Reaves Contract Dilemma
Reaves is in the third season of a four-year, $53.8 million contract, with the 2026-27 season held on a player option worth $14.8 million. Given his leap in production and rising value, that amount hugely underrepresents his output, and he is widely expected to opt-out and seek a more lucrative deal.
NBA insider Brett Siegel recently highlighted the dilemma, noting that the Lakers face a challenging decision in how to approach Reaves’ future, weighing whether to offer a max extension or consider other options if he chooses to test free agency.
“Reaves is just a very interesting scenario that keeps getting brought up when we talk to rival teams around the league,” Siegel said on the Clutch Scoops show. “It’s hard to imagine the Lakers will trade him, but he will most likely opt out and enter free agency as one of the better guys on the market. Teams are going to pursue him. They’re going to be coming at him with max offers.”
“So will the Lakers give him the full max? Does he want to be the number two to Luka Doncic in LA long term? Or will he pull a Jalen Brunson to leave to be a star elsewhere?”
“So will the Lakers trade Reaves? I really don’t think they will and we haven’t heard anything developing on that front about them moving behind the scenes and see what they can get for Reaves, but if they are hesitant about offering him a max deal, and they are concerned that he could look at other offers in the off season, I think you have to do you due diligence to see what the can potentially give you.”
This past offseason, Reaves turned down a max extension worth $89 million over four years, the most the Lakers could offer under the collective bargaining agreement at the time.
That decision was expected and largely procedural. He will be eligible for a five-year, $241 million extension with the Lakers this summer or a four-year, $178.5 million deal elsewhere.
Whether the Lakers are willing to offer the max remains uncertain, but if Reaves enters unrestricted free agency next summer, other teams are expected to aggressively pursue him. It is believed that he could command an average annual value of over $35 million in his next contract.
Trade Scenarios and Future Implications
The Lakers now face a complex decision: either offer Reaves a lucrative contract to secure his long-term services or explore the trade market to gain value if he signals he might leave.
While Reaves has expressed a desire to stay in Los Angeles, the business side of the NBA remains unpredictable.
“I try not to think about it. Honestly,” Reaves recently said. “Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to go get a gigantic number that don’t make sense. I want to be here, I want to win. I want to do everything that can help this organization be better.”
Reaves has become a vital piece of the Lakers’ rotation, providing scoring and playmaking while complementing LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
His growth as a star guarantees that he will command a significant contract, and the Lakers must balance retaining him with salary cap flexibility. His recent injury may slightly influence both the Lakers’ approach and other teams’ interest, though it is not expected to diminish his market appeal significantly.
Retaining Reaves is crucial for the Lakers to maintain continuity and offensive balance, but the combination of salary cap constraints and the uncertainty of long-term commitment and being blind-sided makes exploring trade options a potential necessity.
Ultimately, the situation with Reaves highlights the challenges the Lakers face in balancing roster construction with star management. Regardless, his decision to opt-out or stay will have lasting implications for the team’s competitive outlook and financial flexibility over the next several seasons.
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