The better Austin Reaves plays, the tougher things get for the Los Angeles Lakers. It is simple as that.
Through seven games this season, Reaves looks like a guy who is done being overlooked. He is averaging 31 points, nine assists, and five rebounds while shooting just under 49 percent from the field. Those are numbers that scream “major candidate forfirst-time All-Star”.
Austin Reaves is playing too great for the Lakers’ own good
Every game he plays, that price tag for his next contract creeps higher and higher. That is where things get messy for Los Angeles. Reaves has a player option for the 2026–27 season, but there is no chance he is picking that up if he keeps playing like this.
He is going to hit free agency, and when he does, the Lakers will have a tough decision to make. Either they pay up, or they risk losing one of their most important players to another team willing to hand him the bag. The tricky part in all of this is that he has earned it.
Reaves has become the kind of player every team wants but few actually find: smart, unselfish, clutch, and just flat-out reliable. When stars go down, he steps up.
We have seen it with LeBron James out, and we have seen it when Luka Doncic took some time off with an injury of his own. When defenses throw everything at him, he finds a way. He plays like someone who has been through it all, even though he is still climbing.
However, there is no ignoring what this could mean for the Lakers' long-term future. They already have a significant amount of money committed to Doncic, and if LeBron decides to give it another try, that would tie up even more cap space.
Add a Reaves extension on top of that, and suddenly the Lakers’ flexibility takes a significant hit. That could make them rethink their future free agency plans.
That is the dilemma. Reaves is not just a nice story anymore; he is a legitimate piece you can build around. Keeping him means going all-in, financially and otherwise. Letting him go? That is not something this franchise or fanbase would take lightly.
For now, the focus is simple: win games. Despite that, everyone in the building knows this version of Reaves is rewriting the conversation about his future. If he keeps putting up numbers like this, the Lakers will have no choice but to pay him like a star, or watch someone else do it.