Is Austin Reaves’ Departure From the Lakers Imminent? by @NemahnS https://t.co/ZayQRtDKvS— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) July 25, 2025
Is Austin Reaves’ Departure From the Lakers Imminent?
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July 25, 2025 9 Comments
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FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
Last month, Reaves declined a four-year contract extension worth $90 million. Since then, there has been no word on Reaves and the Lakers negotiating a new contract.
Reaves’ current contract includes a $14.8 million player option for the 2026-27 season. After averaging career-highs of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game, there is an expectation that Reaves will decline the option in search of a more lucrative deal.
Reaves holds most, if not all, of the leverage. It’s not a secret that the Lakers view Reaves as a burgeoning star they would rather keep than lose, but the decision ultimately lies in his hands. If he and the Lakers can’t work out a new deal sometime this year, the Lakers face the risk of losing him in 2026 free agency.
Should the Lakers Explore a Trade?
There is an uncomfortable alternative to letting Reaves walk in free agency. The Lakers could explore trading him at the 2026 trade deadline. A trade would ensure the Lakers receive valuable pieces in exchange for Reaves, as opposed to losing a player of his stature without gaining anything in return other than cap space.
This alternative shrinks the timetable for negotiating a new contract from an entire season to just a few months. If retaining Reaves is truly a goal for the Lakers, agreeing on a new contract should be as urgent as ever.
However, it doesn’t seem to be as much of a priority as it should be.
One reason is that the Lakers’ newest addition makes the on-court fit and rotations a bit more complicated. Marcus Smart is a much-needed perimeter defender, but where would the 6-foot-5 guard fit in the backcourt rotation that already features Reaves and Luka Dončić?
All three guards could start, but this would force Reaves and a 40-year-old LeBron to play bigger. Smart could simply come off the bench, but that would leave the starting lineup lacking perimeter defense and the second unit lacking scoring. The most logical option would be for Reaves to come off the bench and lead the second unit, but is the rising star ready and willing to embrace a Manu Ginobli-esque role in his contract year?
A solution to the newfound rotational problems would be to simply move on from Reaves. The Lakers could choose to fill the roster’s holes instead of trying to make the guard-heavy rotation work. Reaves could be a valuable asset that yields multiple, necessary pieces for a retool via trade.
With so many factors at play, it is unclear how Austin Reaves’ situation will play out, but Lakers fans may need to prepare themselves for his sudden departure.
No.
Another dog days of summer article. They Lakers offered him every penny they could under the CBA. Everyone knew he would decline it, because his value is much higher than that. There is no reason to negotiate a new deal at this time because they can’t offer him one. Sometimes I wonder if these writers have a basic understanding of league rules. They will play out the season and will see what Austins market value is at that time. Austin has given every indication that he wants to stay a Laker. I suspect he will.
Yes, he’s been quoted as wanting to be a lifer.
Just some more ‘blah blah blah’. He’ betting on himself, good luck to him, hope he slays this season and works his way into a $30+ million deal.
lol. As if re-tweeting something made it sound any less vapid and baseless. Let’s take one whole second and look at the facts: the Lakers have been all in on Reaves for multiple seasons now. They’ve rebuffed trade proposals for him, chose not to include him in multiple trade proposals and now see him as a very complimentary piece to both LeBron and now Luka. They made the best offer they could, he’s taking a risk in that if he gets hurt his payday will vanish. But Reaves has done very well betting on himself, not surprisingly he’s going that route, again, now.
I’m sure they’d include Reaves in a trade for Giannis or Jokic…that might be the end of the list, though. Are they right? Is Reaves that good? I dunno, I’m not even sold that he’s worth more than Rui, but I’m not in charge and I don’t sign the checks or make the deals. But neither of those trades are happening, neither player will ask out or, if they do, are they coming here. Not while LeBron is on the roster. Next summer will be the time to swing that hammer, if at all. We’d have multiple quality role players…maybe a budding super star in Reaves, that we could create a S&T package around along with our whopping 3 draft picks we’ll be able to trade.
Super teams today are more likely to be created by the players themselves as NBA general managers. KD, Kyrie, LeBron.
What the Mavs trade did is transform Luka from passive to active when it comes to having a say about with whom he plays. Instead of saying that’s Rob’s job, Luka got involved with both De’Andre and Marcus. I have a hunch Luka is already thinking about whom he wants to be LeBron James replacement and I think it’s Jokic.
Luka and Nikola are friends and it’s probably going to Luka wanting the Lakers to go after one of his closest friends who is also an elite NBA player. We may owe more to Nico than we originally thought. LOL. He’s turned Luka into his own GM.