The Los Angeles Lakers' plan to give Austin Reaves a max contract this summer by all accounts remains unchanged, despite any injury concerns surrounding Reaves, and despite what he's about to look like (less than 100 percent, probably) in the 2026 playoffs.
Yes, Reaves is in store for a massive payday this coming offseason that could come close to tripling the $89 million extension that AR turned down before the 2025-26 season. But that doesn't mean that Reaves' biggest haters won't be spewing all the damaging narratives they can in the coming days to make it seem like Austin doesn't deserve a max deal.
With Reaves expediting his return from an oblique injury, he might not play up to the standard of his star power, especially in a potential round two matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder and their collection of bulldog/pro wrestler perimeter defenders.
OKC Thunder might make Austin Reaves look bad, fueling his critics
Over the last two seasons, Reaves has faced the Thunder six times, and he's been held to under 20 points in four of those contests. In three meetings this year, Reaves averaged just 14.7 points on 42.9% shooting from the field and 29.1% from 3, well below his season marks of 23.3 PPG, 49.0% FG, and 36.0% 3P.
Reaves' 13-point performance on November 12 against OKC was his fourth-lowest scoring output in a game this season (AR played in 51 games total). Additionally, Reaves' 3.7 assists per game against the Thunder fell far short of his 5.5 APG average on the season.
This isn't an indictment against Reaves. The Thunder make pretty much everyone look bad. They make superstar guards look average and/or very flawed. And they'll likely do that to Reaves in round two.
What's more, Reaves will likely be shouldering a heavier ball-handling burden than usual, since Luka Doncic probably won't be ready to return by the start of the series. This means OKC's violent defenders will be able to overload on Reaves even more than usual.
Austin Reaves' haters are licking their chops with fork and knife in hand
What does this all mean for Reaves' greatest critics? Well, nothing but good news. The potential OKC-LA second-round series should give these critics plenty of fuel for their pitiful fire. None of the loud crackling from that fire will distract the Lakers from giving Reaves a quarter of a billion dollars this summer, but it's still an annoying noise to hear in May.
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