Austin Reaves is quickly becoming the topic of the most divisive conversation surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. Those talking points all surround Reaves' future in Hollywood.
The Lakers guard is currently playing out an absolute bargain of a contract. Reaves' four-year, $53.8 million deal offers one of the best bang for your buck salaries for any team in the league, given the production provided relative to his dollar value.
However, the 2025-26 season will be the last guaranteed year of that deal before Reaves can opt out of a player option in 2026-27. This leaves Rob Pelinka and company with a critical decision to be made.
The Lakers front office has reportedly expressed a desire to keep Reaves out of trade talks, unless they involve an elite big man. That approach is understandable, but may push Los Angeles to an undesirable outcome. The hard truth is trading Reaves could prove to be best for business.
Reaves' financial position puts Lakers in a bind
Aaron Reilly, the agent of the Lakers rising star, came out on Twitter recently to make a loud statement regarding his client. Reading between the lines should prove to be interesting here.
Reilly said, "Next year is going to be a show. People really have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers."
This will be an important time to emphasize that trading Reaves for scraps is not the idea anyone should try to sell. The production offered by the 26-year-old in his fourth campaign was too good for that.
Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists during 34.9 minutes per game, with shooting splits of 46-38-88. With the prime of his career approaching, those numbers could be expected to still be ascending.
This point will also put Reaves in a position where his trade value is near an all-time high, even after a disappointing display of his abilities against the Minnesota Timberwolves. There is another important thing to consider here too.
How much does Reaves expect to collect on his next contract? If the desire is to seek out the biggest pay day after the 'show' that the Lakers guard puts on in 2025-26, the Lakers may not have the means to offer the biggest bag to the talented offensive star.
Bill Simmons suggested that on one of his podcast episodes. The NBA personality commented that Reaves is 'just going to be able to get more money outside that team than he will with the team.'
Dave McMenamin has highlighted as much too in one of his pieces for ESPN. The best financial decision for Reaves involves kicking the can down the road.
McMenamin wrote, "He could also wait until the summer of 2026 when he'd be eligible for a four-year, $98 million extension, or opt out of the final year of his contract, become an unrestricted free agent and be eligible for 25% of whatever the salary cap is set at for 2026-27."
There should not be an eager desire to get Reaves out the door in Los Angeles by any means. However, it is tough to avoid the fact that trading him at the peak of his value, for the right price, could prove to be the right move for the Lakers.