Austin Reaves‘s emergence as the Los Angeles Lakers‘ third star this season is a major win for Rob Pelinka and his front office.
Reaves has already outplayed the four-year, $54 million extension he signed in the summer of 2023. The undrafted guard is looking to cash in on his star turn.
Reaves, 26, is extension-eligible beginning on July 6.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Reaves is expected to decline an extension offer from the Lakers this offseason and will opt out after next season.
“How I expect this to play out is the Lakers will make their contract extension offer to Austin on July 6 or sometime around then and they will offer him about four years, $88 million-ish to 90 million,” The Athletic’s Lakers beat reporter said on his podcast “Buha’s Block” on Feb. 25. “Somewhere in that range, which if you average that out is about 22-23 million per year on an annual basis that is below Austin’s market value.”
Will Austin Reaves Leave Lakers?
Reaves, who is currently out with a calf injury, is on the midst of his best season in the NBA, averaging 19.1 points on 45/36/87 shooting split with 6.0 assists, and 1.1 steals, all career highs, and 4.2 rebounds.
“I suspect the Lakers will make the formal offer of an extension and say, ‘Hey, this is the most we can offer. We’d love for you to sign this and remain a Laker for the foreseeable future,” Buha continued. “I’d expect Austin to decline that and not sign that extension and then opt out after the 2025-26 season. He’s got a player option for 2026-27.”
But Buha was quick to add Reaves will try to remain with the team that believed in him and gave him his NBA shot.
“So, I think in that 2026 summer, he will opt out,” Buha added. “He will test free agency, and then he will try to remain a Laker long-term, but it’s gonna come down to what type of contract they offer him. He’s a guy who should be making at least $27-28+ million, if not $30+ million moving forward.”
Reaves will likely draw interest from several NBA teams. The Lakers must have learned their lessons by now when they cheap out on Alex Caruso.
Homegrown Pride
In the weeks leading to the 2024 NBA trade deadline, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained in detail why the Lakers have made Reaves untouchable.
“I can’t imagine a better role player because [Reaves] has the trust of those two guys [James and Anthony Davis],” McMenamin said on the January 8, 2024 episode “The Lowe Post” podcast. “He has the confidence of those two guys. He’s been a proven playoff performer. He has the trust and the kind support of the Buss family — the brothers who identified him in the draft process and Governor Jeanie. That’s a point of pride for her to have someone like Austin Reeves who was a homegrown Laker organization product [and] become a star.”
Davis has now been replaced by Luka Dončić, the next face of the franchise for the next decade. But the arrival of the ball-dominant Slovenian star who plays like LeBron James hasn’t slowed down Reaves’ growth.
In seven games with Dončić, Reaves is still averaging 16.7 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
