Austin Reaves wants to be paid like a star. The Los Angeles Lakers are about to find out if they actually believe he is one.
Reports from this week say Reaves is seeking max-level money on his next contract. That is the kind of ask that triggers immediate negotiations and either ends with a big extension or a trade demand. The Lakers have to choose.
The max number for a player with Reaves’s service time is around $35 million per year. He is currently making $13 million. That is a substantial jump for a player whose role has gradually expanded from third option to high-end secondary scorer.
The case for paying Reaves is the case the front office has been making publicly for two years. He is a 27-year-old combo guard who can create off the dribble, shoot from deep, and defend his position. He averaged 19.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game last season. He took on a larger role late in the year when injuries hit, and he produced.
The case against is the playoff data. The Lakers lost in the first round again last year, and Reaves struggled in the series. He shot 28 percent from three across the five games and turned the ball over at a high rate. His defensive limitations got exploited by switches, and he did not have the playmaking gear that justifies max money.
That is the gap. Reaves looks like a $35 million player in February. He looks like a $25 million player in May. The Lakers have to figure out which version they believe in.
The complication is LeBron James. The franchise has been built around LeBron’s twilight years, and the timeline for a championship is right now or never. Paying Reaves max money locks in a roster structure that has not yet won a playoff series with him as a featured piece. The risk is real.
The alternative is a trade. Reaves is one of the most movable assets in the league because of his current contract value. A team like the Magic, Spurs, or Pelicans would happily take him on an extension and surrender significant draft capital. The Lakers could move him for picks and use the cap space to pursue a true second star next to LeBron and Anthony Davis.
Rob Pelinka has the harder version of this decision. Reaves has been the most consistent young player on the Lakers roster for three years. He is well-liked by LeBron and Davis. The locker room dynamic of trading him is not great.
The smart play might be a middle ground. Pay Reaves a four-year deal somewhere between $28 and $32 million per season. That is not the max he wants, but it is real money and keeps him on a movable structure. If he produces, great. If not, his contract is still tradable.
The market is going to be telling. If Reaves’s agents go public with the max ask and other teams do not jump in at that number, the Lakers have leverage to negotiate down. If a third team makes a real offer at the max, the Lakers have to match or move on.
The Lakers have looked stuck for three straight summers. LeBron is 41. Davis has played heavy minutes and dealt with constant nagging issues. The roster around them has changed every year without producing real playoff results. Paying Reaves max money would be the kind of decision that signals continuity at the cost of upside.
The right call is a slightly lower number on a deal that gives both sides flexibility. Whether either side accepts that is the question.
The Lakers cannot afford another year of standing still. The Reaves decision is the first domino.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
