Since signing his last extension, Austin Reaves has been on one of the best contracts in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers guard quickly began outperforming his four-year, $53.8 million deal, giving the team some excellent bang for their buck. That is all about to change.
The final year of that contract is a $14.9 million player option for 2026-27. Everyone expects Reaves to decline that and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Why would he not? The Lakers guard has long been overdue for a raise, and this is the earliest opportunity for him to get that.
In a weaker free agency class, Reaves stands out as one of the top players on the open market. After being a bargain for years, Lakers fans will need to get used to their star guard collecting his fair share of the team's cap space. That was illustrated, yet again, in a recent write-up for The Athletic by Dan Woike that aimed to assess how much the 28-year-old was worth.
"The money Reaves will get in unrestricted free agency this summer is predicted by rival executives to exceed $40 million annually."
Austin Reaves getting at least $40 million per year will come from Lakers or otherwise
The annual average on Reaves' last contract was just around a meager $13.5 million. That would mean his next deal will not only double that figure, it is currently projected to triple it.
Understandably, this has created some mixed feelings for Lakers fans. After having the luxury of underpaying Reaves for so long, there is noticeable hesitancy in fan sentiment around the idea of forking over a massive payday to the talented offensive guard.
In the paraphrased words of Thanos from Avengers Infinity War: dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives. Chalk up that payday to that same feeling of inevitability.
Woike noted the Nets are preparing an offer around four years and $178.5 million for Reaves' services. That is roughly $44.6 million on average. If the Lakers want to keep up, the price they have to pay should be around that ballpark.
Some will argue that is where Los Angeles should draw their line in the sand. Why pay Reaves that type of money?
Apart from him being a natural fit as a co-star and well-liked by Luka Doncic, there is also the matter of him having improved with every passing season in a Lakers uniform, plus being a leader in the locker room. All of those things could offer just a few of the reasons for Rob Pelinka to act.
Some fans would like to say otherwise, but losing Reaves for nothing in free agency would be a nightmare scenario for the Lakers. Avoiding that fate involves accepting that $40 million projects to be the floor of his next deal.
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