Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) controls the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Lakers entered this offseason with a big decision to make regarding Austin Reaves. Reaves was set to become an unrestricted free agent by opting out of his $14.9 million player option for 2026-27, but the Lakers agreed to a massive long-term deal with the undrafted guard before he hit the open market.
Reaves eventually signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Lakers, the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player. This was a huge financial commitment, and the team signalled with this move that he was one of the franchise cornerstones along with Luka Doncic.
While the Lakers are believers in Reaves, Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts thinks they would dump him in an instant should an opportunity arise to sign Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic in 2027.
“Jokic can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his player option,” Watts wrote. “The three-time MVP is refusing to sign an extension. He says he wants to be a Nugget for life, but the franchise has to be worried. They’ve won just two playoff series in the last three years. Jokic wants to win and is good friends with Luka Doncic. The Lakers would dump Austin Reaves in an instant to sign the Joker.”
While you wouldn’t blame the Lakers for shipping Reaves, who averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26, out of town in an attempt to generate cap space for Jokic, you’d think he won’t be the one to go. The obvious candidate would be Walker Kessler, whom they just got via a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers can’t have Kessler and Jokic in the starting five, as neither is equipped to play power forward. The young center would have to be the one heading out of town. Now, a lineup of Jokic, Doncic, and Reaves is probably going to be awful defensively, but good luck stopping them. Can the Lakers get the big man to swap Denver for Los Angeles, though?
Well, Jokic has been eligible to sign a four-year, $278 million extension with the Nuggets since June 14. The Serb isn’t going to sign it, but there is no need to raise the alarm at the moment. Jokic has made it clear he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Nuggets. The three-time MVP isn’t signing that extension now purely for financial reasons.
Jokic has made $304 million so far in his NBA career, according to Spotrac, and if he opts out of his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28 and becomes a free agent, he’ll be eligible to make more than that on his next contract. The eight-time All-Star could sign a five-year, $359.5 million deal with the Nuggets in 2027, which would be the largest contract in league history.
The Nuggets wouldn’t hesitate to put that deal on the table, but could Jokic, who averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game in 2025-26, hesitate to sign it? Well, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin thinks if next season goes off the rails, the 31-year-old might look to go elsewhere.
It’s unlikely, but if Jokic does somehow decide to leave the Nuggets, you’d imagine the Lakers would be high up his list of potential destinations. That wouldn’t be because he is drawn to the city of Los Angeles, though.
As Watts mentioned, Jokic and Doncic are great friends. There has long been chatter about these two playing together someday, and the Lakers would be must-watch television if they make it happen. It’s unlikely Jokic ends up on the Lakers, but we’d have said the same about Doncic a couple of years ago.