Is Lakers fan-favorite starter in store for a big payday?

Austin Reaves joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Yet, despite falling outside of the draft, he immediately earned a spot within the rotation, playing in 61 games as a rookie, earning 19 starts. 

Reaves plays the game the right way. He can pick a pass, knows when to be aggressive and understands how to control the pace and tempo of a game. 

In his first four years in the NBA, he's gone from being a high-level rotation piece to a valuable starter on a team trying to contend for a championship. Furthermore, he's become a genuine fan-favorite, primarily due to the commitment he shows when on the court.

However, Reaves' year-on-year skill development has also put the Lakers in a tough spot. He has two years left on his current contract, but as the second year is a player option, he is likely to become a free agent next summer.

According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, Reaves is likely to sign a new deal with Los Angeles in the region of $30M to $35M per season. 

"I think he's more of a 30- to 35-million-dollar-a year player," Buha said during a recent appearance on Spectrum Sports Net. "...We'll see what type of season he has, what type of playoff performance he has. But I'll say I've been talking about this since January on my podcast, that like people around the league are penciling him in to make 30-plus-million this summer."