Austin Reaves contract, Los Angeles Lakers
Getty
Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his game-winning shot against the Minnesota Timberwolves after the game at Target Center on October 29, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Austin Reaves will be a free agent for the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, and while the overarching expectation is that he’ll sign a new contract with the team, that shouldn’t yet be written in stone.
All signs point to Reaves declining his current player option, as he’s massively outplayed his deal and is in line for a major pay raise from the Lakers this summer, a team that expects to have some of the most cap space in the NBA.
However, while Reaves is having a career year and Los Angeles reportedly wants to keep him in town for the long haul, the Lakers’ decision to re-sign the 27-year-old guard might not be as straightforward as originally thought, with new teams potentially entering the mix for the top free agent this offseason.
Lakers Could Face Competition For Austin Reaves In Free Agency
Austin Reaves free agency Lakers contract
GettyLos Angeles, CA – March 01: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dribbles down the court during the second half of NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photos by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Multiple reports have emerged over the past few months signaling the Lakers will offer Reaves a deal close to five years, $241 million, which be a huge chunk of their salary cap. While the team expects to have some of the most cap space in the NBA this summer, which they’ll use to give the rising star a new deal, it’s not like they are the only franchise in the league with money to spend in the offseason.
Writing for ThirdApron.com, Yossi Gozlan speculated that teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and others could come in and offer Reaves a deal for two or three years to poach him from the Lakers.
“For example, would a team like the Clippers, Hawks, or Bulls offer Reaves a two or three-year max to make a competitive offer? It would be similar to how the Rockets signed Fred VanVleet away from the Raptors in 2023. It could give the Lakers some pause given their path to maintain cap flexibility over the next few seasons,” he wrote.
Dave McMenamin
New story: Austin Reaves’ hot start hasn’t just set the Lakers’ season up for success. It’s set him up for a major payday this summer. A look inside Reaves impact in L.A. “I want to be here. I want to win.”
Based on their moves over the past few months, the Lakers are prioritizing cap space this summer to build a roster better suited to franchise star Luka Doncic. While he and Reaves have played well together, questions remain about the fit between the two in the backcourt, particularly on defense.
But regardless, Los Angeles can offer Reaves more than any other team in the league, and if he’s already expected to get a max deal, there might not be any point in him taking less from another team for financial flexibility in two or three years rather than five.
“It seems unlikely that such an offer would dissuade the Lakers from matching. The short-term nature of such a deal would make the large cap hits more palatable,” Gozlan added. “It’s also hard to envision the Lakers simply letting Reaves go over money. Everything they’re hoping to accomplish involves Reaves as part of the team build.”
NBA Base
Rival teams could explore a 2-3 year “max-type” offer to try and lure Austin Reaves away from the Lakers this summer, per @YossiGozlan , h/t @WireHoops
“As Gozlan noted, it would not be surprising if another team explored a two- or three-year max-type offer to try to lure him
Still, as Reaves will be one of the top free agents this summer, the Lakers should expect competition over him this offseason, even if he has expressed interest in staying in L.A. for the long-term.
Austin Reaves For The Lakers This Season
Austin Reaves free agency Lakers contract
GettyAustin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers points during the first half of the basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 10, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
In 45 games this season, Reaves is averaging 23.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 49.4% shooting. Those numbers are a bit down from his All-NBA level start to begin the year while the Lakers were without LeBron James and Doncic for a bit, but still All-Star level over the course of the season.
He did miss a major stretch earlier in the year with a concerning calf injury, sitting out 19 games from late December into early February. However, since returning, Reaves has gotten back to his pre-injury form, proving to be one of the best second options, scoring-wise, in the NBA.
Additionally, the numbers with him and Doncic on the court together, whether it be on offense, defense, or the Lakers’ net rating, are very strong compared to when James is added to the mix, or when it’s any other combination of the team’s star trio.
He’s proven to be what Los Angeles needs in the backcourt, and while he’s still on a four-year, $53 million deal, it’s coming at an extreme discount this season.
Questions remain on whether resigning Reaves to a max contract this summer is the right move, but as Gozlan wrote, it’s going to be tough to see the Lakers losing him for nothing in free agency.
Even if a team can offer him a decent-sized new contract, Los Angeles can still offer him more, and reportedly has ‘no fear‘ of losing him this summer.