Even though he is 40 years old, James is still a great player who can win any night. But since there are rumours that James will be leaving in 2026, what then? Of course, the Lakers have an easy answer for that too: Austin Reaves.
Austin Reaves needs to play a Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson-esque role for Luka Doncic
Doncic has made a promise to the Purple and Gold by signing a huge contract worth $165 million over three years. But if the team wants Luka to stay in LA for the rest of his career, they need to give the 26-year-old a good backup plan.Wan
What can we learn from this? The best Robin to Doncic’s Batman would be a guard who can shoot well from deep.
The Lakers would have to offer Reaves a new deal next summer in order to do that.
Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported that an executive told ESPN, “I think he will get $30 million or more.”
This was in line with what other front office sources said when asked about Reaves’s next contract offer.
He also said, “That executive and others think that Reaves will eventually go back to Los Angeles. If that happens, Reaves will become Doncic’s long-term running mate in L.A.’s backcourt, a role that Brunson and Irving held in Dallas.”
The Lakers offered Reaves $90 million over four years, but he turned it down. Now it looks like Reaves will get paid a lot next summer as Doncic’s second-in-command.
Before a potential $30m-plus deal, Austin Reaves still needs to prove himself in the playoffs
People in Laker Nation saw Reaves’ best regular-season play in the 2024–25 season. He was a rookie guard.
Each game, he scored 20.2 points, grabbed 4.5 boards, and passed the ball 5.8 times. Also, AR15 took over the game whenever head coach JJ Redick told him to.
So, what’s wrong with giving Reaves a deal worth more than $30 million a year? “This is a big year for him.” One assistant coach in the Western Conference told ESPN, “He’d better bring it in the playoffs because he’s got to be good enough to play with Doncic.”
As a point of reference, Reaves’s stats dropped in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves to 16.2 points, 4.5 boards, and 4.2 assists per game.
He also missed a lot of shots: 41.1% from the field and 31.9% from three-point range.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Lakers didn’t give Reaves the biggest deal of his NBA career until he could show that he doesn’t drop out of the playoffs.
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