Austin Reaves Signing New Lakers Contract 'Strongly' Suspected by NBA Expert Windhorst
A new contract agreement between the Los Angeles Lakers and guard Austin Reaves could be on the horizon, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
"I do think that it is an interesting situation that they're in, which is that literally nobody on this team is truly locked in other than Luka," Windhorst reported on Friday's episode of The Hoop Collective (29:30 mark). "Hachimura is under contract, Vanderbilt is under contract, but those aren't guys that the Lakers couldn't move off if they tried. They're not core players. I suspect Austin Reaves, strongly, is going to get re-signed but they're in this sort of nether region."
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Reaves will earn just over $13.9 million for the 2025-26 season and has a $14.8 million player option for his 2026-27 campaign.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Windhorst noted that the 27-year-old is eligible to sign a four-year extension worth $89 million, but can receive more than $40 million per year as a free agent in 2026 if he chooses to wait and decline his player option.
With Reaves likely forgoing an extension in order to earn more money on the open market, a return to the Lakers in free agency still appears to be a strong possibility.
It's understandable that Los Angeles would want to keep him in purple and gold, as he's developed into a key offensive piece since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
Reaves is coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he averaged a career-high 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game, shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three-point territory.
He particularly excelled after the All-Star break, recording 22.2 points per game on 48.3/40.6/90.1 shooting splits over that span.
With LeBron James' future on the Lakers uncertain beyond the upcoming season, Reaves could become the long-term running mate that fits the timeline of superstar forward Luka Donฤiฤ.
The Lakers will open the 2025-26 season against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.
