Austin Reaves will get his official audition as the second option, giving Rob Pelinka a sample for what life without LeBron James can look like for the Los Angeles Lakers. If Reaves delivers, the Lakers star can comfortably position himself for a massive payday with the franchise in the offseason.
Everyone should know by now that the talented offensive guard is expected to hit free agency in the summer of 2026. Reaves does have a player option for 2026-27. However, with the Lakers guard comfortably outperforming the $14.9 million figure for that season, there is little reason for that option to be picked up.
Jovan Buha thought there were several members of the team due to seize the opportunity of added minutes and responsibility with James out to start the season because of his sciatica injury. Reaves may have the biggest shot to prove something among those names.
Buha said, "This really shows not just the Lakers, but the rest of the league what Austin can do. ... If this is like 12 games, 15 games, 17 games, whatever, and Austin really steps up as the number two, that sends a message to the Lakers, but it also sends a message to the rest of the league."
Opportunity is knocking — and Austin Reaves’ breakout could be worth a fortune
Reaves played nine games in 2024-25 without James in the lineup. The statistics from those outings are incredibly impressive.
Reaves averaged 27.9 points, 8.3 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. The Lakers third star connected on 49.1 percent of his shots from the field, 42.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, and 90.9 percent of his opportunities at the free throw line.
Those are the type of figures that would have anyone believing that Reaves is sacrificing his production in favor of benefiting the team's goals by playing the role of the third option. Granted, nine games is not the biggest sample size.
To Buha's point, the time missed from James to start the new year could stretch much larger than nine games. The most optimistic timeline was described to be around eight games by the Lakers reporter. However, there is no guarantee that is what Los Angeles gets.
What the Lakers are ensured of receiving is an evaluation period. There is little wiggle room for Pelinka and the front office to mess up the retool around Luka Doncic. A big part of that will be figuring out just how much Reaves is capable of, and what the price tag for those services should be.