$40 million is the annual average that keeps coming up in relation to Austin Reaves and his next contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. That is a big and scary number for some fans of the team to look at and stomach. It shouldn't be.
Scouts and executives told Tim Bontemps $40 million on average is the range in which Reaves' upcoming deal is being projected. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic was in alignment with that. Now, Lakers insider Jovan Buha is the latest to be discussing that type of figure for AR15.
When talking about Reaves' leverage on a recent episode of his podcast, Buha was floating that same price point. How does that classic saying go? Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern. That familiar number keeps coming up and Lakers fans would be foolish to ignore it.
To the credit of most, they have been paying attention. Some have even invited panic over that being too much money. To that point, there needs to be an understanding about where $40 million places Reaves among rival NBA stars. Given who he has become and what the going rate is in the NBA for a star, that number is perfectly fine.
Austin Reaves has arrived as a max contract player in the NBA
The first major barrier that Lakers fans must cross is remembering that Reaves' production should be due for an uptick. That new contract would come with the defined expectation of being Luka Doncic's long-term running mate in Los Angeles.
In jostling for secondary positioning with LeBron James, Reaves' production has been steady and strong, but has more room for uptick. Perhaps when the latter comes, Lakers fans will have an easier time accepting his contract figure as more legitimate.
23-5-6 with 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc is already respectable, though. So maybe that is not where Lakers fans are struggling with this one.
Reaves did have an uneven playoff campaign right before his coming payday. However, should anyone really be surprised about that, given the circumstances?
For one, Reaves plays masterfully off Doncic and not having his MVP-caliber teammate clearly hurt. On the subject of hurting, the Lakers guard was coming off a grade 2 oblique strain. That was always going to dampen how he performed upon returning to the lineup.
Lakers forking over $40 million on average is not an overpay for Austin Reaves
Even with all this in mind, the biggest disconnect seems to come from just how much other stars are being paid.
If Reaves took $40 million AAV on his next deal exactly, that would still have him earning less than players like LaMelo Ball, OG Anunoby, Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Franz Wagner, Domantas Sabonis, Paolo Banchero, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Paul George, etc.
Some of those players have noticeably larger contracts, too, without being all that much better in terms of what they can offer by comparison to Reaves. If AR were going to take home $40 million on his next deal, there would still be a long list of stars out-earning him.
$40 million on average gives him just a touch more than guys like Desmond Bane, Darius Garland, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant. It puts him on par with Brandon Ingram.
Reaves' last contract was such an undeniable bargain that perhaps there are Lakers fans who are just not ready to let go of that reality. Unfortunately for them, the 28-year-old has undeniably become a star, and it is time for him to join those ranks with the price tag for his services.
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