The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of decisions to make regarding Austin Reaves. Reaves is one of the best third-scoring options in the NBA, putting up career-high stats in almost every category a year ago. Reaves made the Lakers dangerous on the offensive end of the court last season. The issue is that pairing him with Doncic on the defensive end of the court was bad.
Still, Reaves is going into this year motivated to play even better. He is about to hit free agency, and one insider believes he will get a massive raise.
Lakers Guard Austin Reaves is Expected to Get a Massive Raise
Reaves is listed as the 60th-best player in the NBA by ESPN. Dave McMenaman of ESPN believes Reaves could make an excess of $100 million in free agency.
“Reaves and his representatives turned down a four-year, nearly $90 million contract extension offer from the Lakers in June, setting himself up to test unrestricted free agency next summer and sign a new deal worth well over $100 million.” The Lakers are still hoping to keep him, but Reaves is probably going to move on in order to get a bigger payday.
“Not that the Lakers won’t be interested in keeping him then, after signing him as a rookie when he went undrafted in 2021. “He just keeps proving himself over and over and over again,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss told ESPN in April. “We’re just lucky to have him.”
The Lakers Would Love to Keep Austin Reaves If Possible
Reaves would have a lot of interest from other teams if he decided to leave Los Angeles. His offensive skill set is unique enough that other teams would love to have him in the starting lineup. If the Lakers do end up putting Reaves on the bench in favor of Marcus Smart for defensive purposes, Reaves is all but gone. The Lakers need to show faith in him if he is going to stay put.
Last season, Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. He shot 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
