Austin Reaves left $5 million on the table on his new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. That may not seem like much, but it could prove just enough to bring Max Christie back to Hollywood in the summer of 2027.
The original price tag that was reported for Reaves' new deal with the Lakers was $185 million over four years. That $185 million was trimmed down to $180 million, with Jovan Buha getting the initial scoop on the subject. That gave Los Angeles extra financial wiggle room moving forward.
Trevor Lane then pointed out: "What Reaves essentially did was take half of the raise he could have gotten (4% instead of 8%) between year 1 and year 2 of his contract. Lines up with [Sandro Mamukelashvili 's] dip year."
Dave McMenamin highlighted thereafter that all of this should set up the Lakers with a non-taxpayer midlevel exception in the summer of 2027. Christie, who holds a $8.9 million player option for the 2027-28 season, could become a free agent in that same offseason.
Lakers' added financial flexibility puts a Max Christie reunion on the table
Letting Christie go in the Luka Doncic trade was a necessary evil of adding one of the best players in the world to the Lakers. His continued growth with the Dallas Mavericks has made him the perfect type of player to want around Doncic.
Christie had his best season as a pro in 2025-26. The Mavericks wing averaged a career-high 12.3 points per game on the best efficiency of his time in the NBA. The former second-round steal connected on 44.1 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc, resulting in a true shooting percentage of 60.1 overall.
Christie is not only a 3-and-D player, which are always in high demand around Doncic, but he specifically shines at the point of attack when guarding opposing teams. The Lakers would greatly benefit from slotting him in as a starter beside Luka and Austin.
$8.9 million in 2027-28 is a bargain for a player of Christie's caliber. That should encourage him to not even think twice about accepting that player option.
It would really be a matter of whether the Mavericks can secure an extension with him before that. If not, the Lakers could easily offer him a sizable raise via the non-taxpayer midlevel exception.
There would be something incredibly cheeky about the Lakers poaching back the best trade return the Mavericks received in the Doncic trade. They have every reason to explore that path, though, after Reaves opened it up for Los Angeles.
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