The Los Angeles Lakers have a handful of tasks with which to concern themselves now that the Minnesota Timberwolves cut short the team’s first-ever playoff run with Luka Doncic, ending the title dreams of the historic franchise after just five games.
Among the issues facing are L.A. are what to do about LeBron James’ future as he enters the second year of a two-year contract on which he has a player option and a no-trade clause, as well as how they can cobble together the salary cap space and/or a trade package to acquire a rim-running, rim-protecting big man who can open up the best parts of Doncic’s game.
But also high on the list is offering Austin Reaves a contract extension, and hopefully convincing him to sign it — though some of the smartest people covering the NBA don’t believe that’s at all a realistic possibility.
Reaves next fall will enter the third season of a four-year, $54 million contract that has proven one of the best values in the league after he put up career-high averages in points (20.2), assists (5.8) and rebounds (4.5) in 2024-25. Los Angeles can offer him a new deal this summer, but should Reaves decline and opt out of the final year of his contract in the summer of 2026, he can hit unrestricted free agency at the age of 28 with the potential to earn much more money on his next deal.
“Sneaky thing to look at, Austin Reaves is extension-eligible, and I don’t think there’s any way he takes the extension the Lakers can offer, which is like four years [and] $90 million,” Zach Lowe of The Ringer said on the Monday, April 28 edition of his podcast. “He’s gonna go into unrestricted free agency after the 2025-26 season.”
That reality could argue for L.A. shopping Reaves as part of a trade deal this summer, which can still work well despite his pending free agency, assuming he can work out a wink-wink agreement with his next team that it will offer, and he will sign, a contract extension at a particular value when the time comes.
That would up the return the Lakers could expect in their efforts to rebuild the roster in Doncic’s image, while also likely catering somewhat to James by removing some of the load off his shoulders as he enters his 23rd NBA season, during which he will turn 41 years old.
