Austin Reaves Reportedly Wants to Be with Lakers 'For Life' amid Contract Rumors

Austin Reaves is right where he wants to be for the rest of his NBA career.

"People around the league are penciling him in to make $30-plus million this summer, whether it's with the Lakers or someone else," Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha reported on SportsNet LA. "I expect it to be with the Lakers. I expect him to re-sign on a multiyear deal. He wants to be a Laker for life."

Reaves is entering the final season of his deal before a $15 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign. While much of the focus this offseason has been on LeBron James exercising his option and Luka Dončić agreeing to an extension, Los Angeles will soon need to focus on Reaves.

And Buha's report is surely exactly what the Purple and Gold want to hear.

If this is James' final season with the Lakers, they will need secondary options alongside Dončić to remain a threat in the Western Conference. Reaves fits that bill as someone who has more than lived up to expectations since he joined Los Angeles for the 2021-22 campaign.

He has increased his scoring and assist averages in each of his four seasons and is coming off a career-best effort that saw him post 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals a night while shooting 46 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from deep in 2024-25.

There is no doubt about his position as Los Angeles' third option after James and Dončic, and he will become even more important if and when the King is no longer on the roster.

Reaves is also just 27 years old and has consistently improved throughout his career. Giving him a contract that pays him approximately $30 million a year may seem steep, but Los Angeles will likely jump at the chance to do just that in the near future.

Which would put Reaves one step closer to his goal of being a Laker for life.