Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has put himself in just as good a position as any player in the NBA to get paid handsomely in the near future.
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Reaves has been among the top players in the league to start the season, certainly playing like an All-Star. The Lakers have also been one of the better teams in the NBA, and a significant part of that is due to what Reaves has done on both sides of the basketball court.
With LeBron James out for the entire start of the campaign and Luka Doncic out for some of the year, Reaves has stepped up massively.
The question for the Lakers is how much they’re going to have to pay Reaves, and according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the likeliest option is that Reaves will decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent, but will be able to sign a five-year, $241 million deal with Los Angeles.
"To say that Reaves has taken advantage of early season injuries to Luka Doncic and James has been an understatement… Because NBA rules restrict the Lakers from extending Reaves up to 140% of the average player (four-years, $87.4 million with a starting salary of $19.5 million next season), it is highly unlikely he will sign a new contract prior to June 30. The more likely scenario is for Reaves to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent…
"If he does, Reaves will be eligible to sign for up to five-years, $241 million with the Lakers. The Lakers could still have nearly $50 million in cap space even if Reaves signs a new contract," he wrote.
It’s obviously never a great idea to allow an outstanding player like Reaves to be an unrestricted free agent, but considering the cap situation, the Lakers are in a very strong position to re-sign him.
It isn’t like a ton of teams around the league have a surplus of cap space, so it’d be a bit surprising to see him walk.
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