The Los Angeles Lakers have a major “problem” on their hands, and his name is Austin Reaves.
With superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic sidelined, the undrafted gem has single-handedly carried the team, unleashing a 120-point scoring barrage over the last three games, including a career-high 51-point masterpiece in a win over the Sacramento Kings.
Reaves is proving he can hang with the league’s best, averaging a staggering 34.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 10.0 assists on 52.5% shooting. But his heroics are creating a massive financial dilemma for the front office.
Reaves, who already rejected an $89.2 million extension offer in June, has a player option for the 2026-27 season that he is now virtually guaranteed to decline. This will make him an unrestricted free agent, and his price tag is exploding.
What would the Lakers have to do to retain Reaves?
“The belief around the league is that $30 million per year is the absolute baseline for Reaves’ services,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps wrote on Friday. Another executive theorized that a rival team could offer Reaves a deal worth four years and roughly $180 million.
The Lakers’ only move to keep him would be to go all-in. Reports indicate the “Purple and Gold” can offer Reaves a five-year, $240 million max contract.
However, there’s a devastating catch: to balance the salary cap and make that kind of offer, the Lakers would have to let LeBron James walk away into free agency next summer.
Reaves wants to stay in L.A.
The dilemma pits the team’s future against its present and tests the loyalty of its homegrown star. The Lakers gave Reaves his break after he went undrafted in 2021, and Reaves has publicly stated his love for the franchise.
“I want to be in L.A. I want to play my whole career in L.A.,” Reaves said in a June interview. “I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather… And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball.”
Now, the organization that found him is faced with an impossible choice: choose the star they built or the icon who brought them a championship.
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