The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to land at the top of a loaded Western Conference in 2025-26 with 21-time All-Star LeBron James and 5-time All-NBA First Team selection Luka Dončić running the show.
While both Dončić and James will remain the team's top priorities, the franchise's rapidly developing tertiary option Austin Reaves will be motivated to author another fringe All-Star caliber season as he eyes unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
Reaves has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign, but it's widely believed that the 6-foot-5 offensive dynamo will eventually decline it in an effort to land a gargantuan contract. For that reason, the Lakers' attempts at handing the skilled guard an extension this past summer were swiftly rebuffed.
According to a recent update, the Lakers may not be able to fork over Reaves' desired annual salary, making it plausible that another organization could swoop in to provide an offer that the 27-year-old can't refuse.
"Due to cap rules, the most the Los Angeles Lakers could've offered Austin Reaves this summer was $89.2 million over four years," Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey wrote Tuesday.
"It should come as little surprise that he reportedly turned down that number."
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"As a free agent in 2026, Reaves could sign a deal with a starting salary north of $40 million. And even if he doesn't get there, he's likely to earn something more lucrative than what L.A. can hand out."
If Reaves finds himself staring a $40 million annual salary in the eyes come next summer, it would surely be hard for the formerly undrafted star to look the other way.
However, Reaves has denied the notion that he'd accept a deal to land on a team where he could chuck up unlimited shots and make an All-Star team off of relatively empty stats in the past. Instead, he confirmed that he'd rather stick with a talented team to compete for championships.
In that case, starring in the backcourt alongside a consensus MVP candidate in Dončić could be Reaves' best option with regard to competing for a title year-in and year-out.
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