As of now, Austin Reaves is being penciled in as the second option behind Luka Doncic for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Before that pencil can be changed to permanent marker, the Los Angeles Lakers still have to come to terms on Reaves' next contract. What happens if they don't?
Losing Reaves to any of the rival suitors like the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, or otherwise could put the Lakers in a real moment of panic. Losing Doncic's preferred partner for nothing would understandably stir up real problems in Los Angeles amid a much-needed retool of the roster.
If, under the worst of circumstances, that scenario comes to pass in the 2026 offseason, the Lakers will need to know where to look next. That could come in the form of calling the Brooklyn Nets about Michael Porter Jr. After no deal got done involving the high-scoring forward before the 2026 NBA trade deadline, Michael Scotto reported Porter could be available once again in the summer.
"If the Nets don’t agree to an extension with Porter Jr., teams around the league are expected to poke around on his trade availability."
Michael Porter Jr. could be the Lakers' backup plan for Austin Reaves
Ideally, the Lakers would not want to lose Reaves. The star guard brings a ton of value to Los Angeles both on and off the court.
Doncic has seen a worst-case scenario play out before, though. When Luka was on the Dallas Mavericks, his organization fumbled negotiations with Jalen Brunson.
The hope would be that Rob Pelinka does not have the Lakers follow that blueprint this summer. That precedent does exist, though. If Los Angeles low-balls Reaves too much, flirting with a lessened payday in the name of the bigger picture, would anyone really blame AR for taking more money elsewhere and departing?
Should that happen, Porter could factor in among the offseason plans. Pelinka has done business with the Nets before, making them a natural candidate as one of the first calls of this doomsday scenario.
Porter has proven his effectiveness as a catch-and-shoot option beside Nikola Jokic. That would make his offensive fit with Doncic easy to envision. The Nets forward also showed there is upside to giving him an expanded role beyond just shooting this past season in Brooklyn. The former NBA champ averaged a career-high 24.2 points per game on 18.4 field goal attempts per game.
With the added influx of draft capital coming to the Lakers, they could put together a deal that should invite interest from the rebuilding Nets. That would shift the focus to using free-agent money to fill out spots elsewhere on the roster.
No one in Los Angeles should truly be rooting for this scenario. The simplest and best option is just to retain Reaves. However, the Lakers should know where to turn if they trip over their own feet in this one. Porter could be it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google