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3 Los Angeles Lakers who have earned new contracts this summer

By Jason Reed

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 12, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 12: Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on February 12, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. Austin Reaves

This one might be surprising considering this is Austin Reaves first year with the Los Angeles Lakers as the team gave him a guaranteed contract right before the year began. While he is fresh in the league, there is still room for the Lakers to give him a new deal, although they are not going to be able to pay him much.

There is a club option in Reaves’ contract after this season and if the Lakers accept it then he will be a free agent the following offseason that is able to receive a qualifying offer. That is what happened with Talen Horton-Tucker and the Lakers should do what they did with Alex Caruso and get out in front of it.

The best-case scenario for the team is to opt-out of the contract and offer Reaves a new two-year deal that keeps him in LA and pays him $3-4 million per year. That might not seem like a lot of money but it is over double what he is making next season anyway and he is not going to get much more in free agency.

Reaves has been yet another diamond in the rough for the Lakers as he has been extremely impactful to this team. In fact, Reaves has the best on/off net rating on the entire Lakers roster, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

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With pretty much no youth on this roster outside of Talen Horton-Tucker, the Lakers should be looking to lock up Reaves for at least that extra year to avoid having to overpay him, like the Lakers did with THT.

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