The Los Angeles Lakers have some amazing guard play between Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. However, the depth behind those two is a bit questionable.
Plus, Reaves is a free agent after the season, so it’s hard to know for sure if he’ll sign with the Lakers. Los Angeles owns their first-round pick in 2026, so they’ll be able to add a dynamic young player.
The Lakers could prefer to add size, but adding upside at guard might not be the worst idea. In Jonathan Wasserman’s new mock draft for Bleacher Report, he projects the team to select Arizona guard Brayden Burries with the No. 28 pick.
“Brayden Burries may have broken through at the Wildcat Classic after a slow start to the season,” Wasserman wrote. “Scouts will still want to see him look comfortable against more credible opponents, though there is enough high school tape that suggests he’s eventually going to start converting more threes and drives.
“From a scouting perspective, at 6’4″, 205 pounds, he has a strong mix of size, strength and touch for attacking and tossing in floaters. He does most of his damage at the rim or behind the arc, where he’s a confident shotmaker but still needs to become more consistent.”
Burries Was Named California Mr. Basketball in 2025
Burries is from San Bernardino, California, and went to high school in Riverside. He was an excellent high school basketball player and was named California Mr. Basketball in 2025, which is given to the best boys basketball player in the state.
Considering the foothold the Lakers have on the basketball culture in Southern California, it’s easy to see Burries getting excited about the idea of playing for the team that’s closest to his hometown.
Burries does have some potential. He’s 20, which is a bit old for a freshman, but he’s averaging 10.6 points a game for Arizona. If he came to the Lakers, he’d be able to learn from some of the best guards in the NBA.
Reaves Looking at Huge Payday
There might not be a player in the NBA having a better contract year than Reaves. He turned down extension offers from the Lakers, and that’s proving to be a smart strategy on his part.
He’s averaging 28.1 points per game this season, which is 11th in the NBA. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Reaves is starting at a massive payday in the offseason if he continues the high level of play.
“To say that Reaves has taken advantage of early season injuries to Luka Doncic and James has been an understatement… Because NBA rules restrict the Lakers from extending Reaves up to 140% of the average player (four-years, $87.4 million with a starting salary of $19.5 million next season), it is highly unlikely he will sign a new contract prior to June 30,” Marks wrote. “The more likely scenario is for Reaves to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent…
“If he does, Reaves will be eligible to sign for up to five-years, $241 million with the Lakers. The Lakers could still have nearly $50 million in cap space even if Reaves signs a new contract.”
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