Re-signing Austin Reaves sits atop Lakers’ offseason agenda

The Lakers are headed toward a pivotal offseason, one that will shape how they build around Luka Doncic moving forward.

And according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers’ top priority has already been identified. It is not LeBron James.

It is Austin Reaves.

McMenamin reports that re-signing Reaves sits at the top of the team’s offseason agenda, with the expectation that Reaves will decline his $14.9 million player option for 2026-27 and pursue a long-term deal.

Before a left calf injury on Christmas, Reaves was playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 26.6 points per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. The Lakers noticed. So will the rest of the league.

Reaves is expected to have options. He has also been clear about where he wants to be.

“I want to be in L.A. I love it,” Reaves said in November. “That doesn’t mean I’m trying to go get a gigantic number that doesn’t make sense. I want to be here. I want to win.”

That sentiment appears mutual, even if the price point has shifted significantly since last offseason.

James’ future remains less defined. McMenamin recently reported the Lakers would welcome him back next season, but James has been noncommittal, even by his standards.

“When I know, you guys will know,” James said during All-Star weekend. “I don’t know. I just want to live.”