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Kendrick Perkins Warns Lakers About Austin Reaves' Future

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Jayesh Pagar | Last updated Apr 4, 2026 12:54 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers got blown out 139-96 by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and for a team sitting third in the West with a 50-27 record, that kind of loss stings differently. It was not just another bad night. It looked like a ceiling check.

On ESPN's First Take, Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith broke down what the blowout really meant for the Lakers' future. Perkins went straight to the point about how L.A. needs to think about their two-man core going into the offseason.

"Last night showed me that if you're the Lakers, you cannot invest all your money into Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic as your two franchise guys going forward, if you're expecting to win a championship," Perkins said. "Those two guys cannot be your franchise guys taking up majority of your dollars and take you to the Promised Land."

Perkins added that his concern was never about Reaves' quality as a player. His point was the bigger picture about how the franchise should be structured around those two contracts.

"I hope Austin Reaves get all the money in the world because I'm a fan of Austin Reaves," Perkins continued. "I believe he's a hooper. I believe he's one of the better offensive players in the game today. But if we're talking big picture and we're talking about the future of the Los Angeles Lakers, that moment last night and their record against the top two seeds in the Western Conference should remind them, or have them rethink things far as who's going to be leading the charge in the near future when it comes down to their two franchise guys."

Locking up both Doncic and Reaves on max money leaves very little room to fix the one area the Lakers clearly struggle with.

Their defensive rating sits 20th in the league. Deandre Ayton is averaging just 12.4 points and 8.2 rebounds and has been inconsistent for stretches. Look at the top two teams in the West and what their centers bring. Chet Holmgren for OKC, Wembanyama for San Antonio.

OKC sits at 61-16, San Antonio right behind them at 59-18, and the Lakers at 50-27. The difference shows it.

Offensively, L.A. has the firepower, but defensively, it is where they keep coming up short, and right now, there is no one on this roster who can change that.

What Stephen A. Smith Thinks the Lakers Should Do With Reaves

Stephen A. added more context, pointing to how Reaves' standout season actually gives the Lakers something to work with.

"I do love the fact that AR has elevated his level of play to the degree that he has because it gives the Los Angeles Lakers a tremendous asset to potentially move for additional pieces because we know Luka ain't going anywhere," Stephen A. said.

He added:

"He would command a lot if you're the Los Angeles Lakers. So since you don't have that much draft capital, you got LeBron James approaching free agency. You got Austin Reeves, you know, as a commodity that you have in your staple that you could go and get big-time assets in return for. I think the Lakers are still in a good position, obviously, and I think their ceiling is deep in the second round."

Lakers Are Expected to Lock Up Austin Reaves This Summer

Both Perkins and Stephen A. debated the future, but the Lakers are already moving in the direction of building around those two.

Reaves is expected to decline his $14.9 million player option and hit free agency this summer. Multiple teams are reportedly ready to make a run at him, but sources indicate he has no desire to leave Los Angeles. The Lakers can offer him five years and north of $220 million, more than any other team can put on the table.

Which puts the real question back on the table. With that kind of money locked into Reaves and Doncic, what the Lakers do with whatever cap space remains for defense and depth will decide this offseason.

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