The Los Angeles Lakers have many questions that will need to be answered over the next 12 months. While LeBron James looks to be on his own path that might not include the team, the Lakers have shifted their focus to Austin Reaves and his impending extension and future.
Los Angeles offered Reaves a four-year, $89.2 million deal earlier in the summer, a contract he denied. Set to enter the last guaranteed season of his current deal, the shooting guard has been in numerous reports with speculation about his future with the team.
Most recently, Dan Woike of The Athletic reported that an NBA source said Reaves could command a deal worth up to $40 million per year. That, coinciding with Bleacher Report’s prediction that the Lakers won’t sign Reaves to an extension next summer, puts his future in Los Angeles in question.
Due to cap rules, the most the Los Angeles Lakers could’ve offered Austin Reaves this summer was $89.2 million over four years. It should come as little surprise that he reportedly turned down that number,” Andy Bailey of B/R wrote. “As a free agent in 2026, Reaves could sign a deal with a starting salary north of $40 million. And even if he doesn’t get there, he’s likely to earn something more lucrative than what L.A. can hand out.”
Recent reports have said the Lakers have no intentions of trading Reaves next season. However, at the same time, Rob Pelinka and the front office have also been rumored to be targeting other players this season.
Lakers Trade Pitch
Pelinka and the Lakers have a plan, which revolves around Luka Doncic. The team made numerous roster moves over the summer, but have yet to see how any of them fit with their superstar.
With Reaves playing a similar ball-handling and scoring position as Doncic, the team could move away from him in hopes of landing a more defensive-minded player, a type Doncic has proved successful with in the past.
If they decide to trade Reaves, here’s what a potential deal could look like:
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Trey Murphy III
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt
If Reaves is going to get that $40 million a year contract offer, it’s money the Lakers can’t afford. Murphy will make an average of $28 million over the next four years. He would come in as their top wing defender with a proven scoring ability. He has had multiple injuries early on in his career, but is cited as a top trade candidate this season.
“The Lakers get a 3-and-D forward who is on the cusp of becoming an outright star and could make All-Star games moving forward in the Western Conference,” Josh Cornelissen wrote for LakeShowLife on a Reaves for Murphy swap. “He is a very good, if not elite, defensive wing while bringing improved offense in every facet of the game.”
New Orleans is a team in flux, and adding a player like Reaves would help them gain some established scoring. They also have much more financial flexibility to offer the guard the big deal he is hoping for.
“Is Murphy a better player than Reaves?” Cornelissen added. “Maybe, maybe not, but he is certainly a better fit and will likely be a better value moving forward.”
Reaves’ Unknown Future
Reaves shot down the Lakers’ $89.2 million contract offer earlier this summer, despite saying multiple times that he hopes to stay in Los Angeles for his entire career. He knew that both turning down the deal and being teammates with Doncic and James put a looming question mark over his future.
“I thought that there was a good chance for, like, a week after I declined the extension that there was a possibility I’d get traded,” Reaves said. “I mean, it’s still a possibility.”
The 27-year-old knows his name is consistently in trade rumors, and even still, he is betting on himself. While he might not be looking specifically for the $40 million annually that Woike reported he could get, Reaves said the original Lakers deal wasn’t enough for what he thinks he brings to the team.
“‘Y’all gave me an opportunity…And we appreciate y’all of that,’” Reaves said. “But we didn’t think that the number was the right number. And that’s not saying that we’re gonna go search for a number that’s out of the world…It’s not like we’re trying to just whack ’em over the head for more money than what I deserve. We just want to get what we feel like I’ve put the work in to get.”
While a trade pitch for a player like Murphy might give the Lakers a better opportunity to win with Doncic, Reaves would still like to stay with the team. Though he still wants a payday, Reaves said winning is more important to him than individual awards like an All-Star nod.
“I feel like I could be an All-Star,” Reaves said. “But all of that is, in my opinion, relative. Thank God I play with Luka [Doncic] and LeBron [James]. And, I wanna win.”
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