Did Austin Reaves play his way out of Los Angeles?

With LeBron James set to hit unrestricted free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers will fully commit to Luka Doncic.

However, keeping Austin Reaves in town also looked like a priority for general manager Rob Pelinka, given his scoring prowess and playmaking.

That said, after watching him struggle so mightily on defense in the playoffs, the plans may have changed.

At the very least, the Lakers have to wonder whether they can afford to have two bad defenders on the court at all times, and that might push Reaves out of California.

Should the Lakers give Austin Reaves another long-term contract? 

The Lakers gave Reaves a four-year, $53.8 million deal in 2023, which included a $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign.

That was one of the best value deals in the game, and he certainly outplayed that salary.

However, he's now eligible to sign a five-year contract worth roughly $240 million. He will most likely decline his player option for next season, become a free agent and target that type of pay.

The Lakers also signed Doncic to a three-year, $165 million contract extension that runs through 2028, so that would be most of their salary cap committed to two players.

That's not necessarily bad, but it might not be enough to keep up with other powerhouses.

Granted, Reaves was hurt, and he may have rushed his way back to the court in these playoffs.

But, ignoring his postseason averages of 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 41 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three (via StatMuse), he's just never been a good defender, and he might never become one.

The Lakers will have to run through the likes of Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and many more superstars every year.

As such, they may need to rethink their roster-building strategy around Doncic.