Have Lakers established priority between LeBron James and Austin Reaves?

The Los Angeles Lakers are entering a crucial offseason for general manager Rob Pelinka.

Austin Reaves will most likely opt out of his contract to get a new, more lucrative long-term deal, and LeBron James will also be a free agent.

James reportedly won't take a pay cut unless the Lakers justify it by signing a competitive team around him, and there's only so much money to throw around because of the new CBA.

However, that's also why keeping James won't even be at the top of their priority list, according to Lakers insider Jovan Buha. 

The Lakers will prioritize Austin Reaves over LeBron James

"There's two big differences between LeBron and Reaves right now. One, LeBron is a short-term solution. Reaves is viewed by the franchise as a long-term cornerstone,” Buha said. "So if it comes down to, would you rather pay Reaves $40 million for the next five years, or LeBron $40 million for one year? They're going to prioritize the long-term contract here. Reaves is more of a priority for the Lakers than LeBron is. That's just a fact.”

That makes perfect sense. James is one of the greatest players of all time, but he's had his time.

As impactful as he can still be, the Lakers can't build their roster around him. They're on Luka Doncic's timeline now, and if James isn't willing to play ball to stay with the team, so be it.

Of course, that doesn't mean Reaves is a better player now or will ever be a better player, but he gives the Lakers the best odds over the next couple of years.

Building for the long run in the stacked Western Conference is the right thing to do if the Lakers truly mean to compete with Doncic and JJ Redick at the helm.

As for LeBron, there should still be plenty of suitors for his services, though giving him a championship-caliber team while still paying him top dollar seems like a tall order.