Austin Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft but later signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Little did they know Reaves would someday blossom into a star.
That someday is now, because at the beginning of the 2025-2026 NBA season, Austin Reaves is averaging 31.1 points per game, with 9.3 assists per game.
With Lebron James out with his sciatica injury, Reaves has been the Lakers' go-to guy alongside Luka Dončić.
Of course, this has been great news for Reaves and Lakers fans, but it isn’t all great.
At the end of this season, Reaves will have the option to accept his player option for $14.9 million or decline it and look to rework his contract.
Reaves is worth way more than this, which means he will likely decline.
If that is the case, Bleach Report’s Grant Hughes describes this situation as the Lakers' biggest problem.
“If he keeps this up, Reaves will be in line for a no-brainer max deal when he inevitably opts out of his contract this summer,” Hughes said Thursday.
“While this version of Reaves is undoubtedly worth big bucks in a vacuum, it's worth asking whether this Lakers team, in particular, should spend maximally on a secondary scorer.”
“If all that cash goes to Reaves, where will the money needed to pay three-and-D wings and rim-rolling bigs come from?”
Reaves could make upwards of $240 million on a max contract deal over five years with the Lakers as soon as next season.
Between him, Dončić, and James, who are all in the $40-$60 million a year range, it may be difficult to put the correct pieces around them.
Keeping guys like Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Deandre Ayton immediately becomes difficult.
Reaves' breakout season may look great now, but a few years down the line, it may come back to haunt the Lakers.
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