Much of the contract extension talk surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason is focused on superstar guard Luka Doncic. However, his backcourt partner Austin Reaves is also extension eligible this summer as well.
Because of the previous contract Reaves signed with the Lakers, which was the maximum amount they could sign him for, the max extension the Lakers can sign him to this offseason is well below what he is worth and is reportedly seeking in his next deal. Reaves is expected to command a contract of around $30 million annually if he tests free agency next offseason, while the Lakers can only offer him a four-year, $89 million deal this summer.
As such, ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes Reaves is unlikely to sign an extension with the Lakers this summer in order to hit free agency in 2026 for a much bigger deal:
It’s nobody’s fault, but Reaves and the Lakers could be in a holding pattern on a new contract.
Reaves signed a four-year, $53.8 million deal with the Lakers in 2023, the maximum allowed because of his free agent status at the time. His $13.9 million salary in 2025-26 is below the average player salary and nontax midlevel exception.
Two years later, that bargain contract could play a role in the guard becoming a free agent in the 2026 offseason. Because of his team-friendly salary, the maximum extension the Lakers can offer is four years, $89.2 million. The $19.9 million for the first year is 140% of the average player salary, the most allowed under the CBA.
What to expect: Reaves should bypass signing an extension and enter free agency in 2026. Declining the $14.9 million player option in 2026-27 would give him more financial options on a fresh contract with the Lakers.
These intricacies of the CBA are playing a big role in the Lakers’ options with Reaves. Many expected a team to offer Reaves a big contract back in 2023, but no one did so the Lakers got him on a bargain deal that has only gotten better since. But to expect Reaves to do so again would be foolish.
Reaves has been on one of the best contracts in the entire NBA and he deserves to cash in and get paid what he is worth. And considering how highly he is viewed within the Lakers organization, it seems likely he will get that in L.A.
Austin Reaves’ agent sends warning amidst Lakers trade rumors
While unlikely, there is a possibility that the Lakers could trade away Austin Reaves this offseason as he is undoubtedly the team’s most attractive trade piece if they were to actually make him available.
This has led to some on the internet including Reaves in potential trades and his agent Aaron Reilly of AMR Agency doesn’t appreciate that as he took to social media to send a warning out, saying that the 27-year-old is going to put on a show next season and to stop putting him in trade rumors for “second-string centers.”
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