NBA GM Questions Austin Reaves' Market Ahead of Lakers' Contract Talks in Free Agency

Austin Reaves has surely earned himself a raise with his play for the Los Angeles Lakers, but one Western Conference general manager questioned whether there will be quite as robust of a market for the playmaker as one would think.

"[Reaves'] cap hold is $21 million and he'll want the Lakers to pay him significantly more than that," the general manager said in a Tuesday report from ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst. "What isn't clear is who the Lakers will be bidding against, because the [cap] space teams like the Bulls, Nets and Jazz may not be in the market.

"The best path for him is probably to come off this [oblique] injury, have a great showing against the Thunder and apply pressure to the Lakers to keep him at all costs."

Reaves could opt into his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign, but that seems extremely unlikely.

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After all, he is 27 years old and coming off the best season of his career. There may never be a better time for him to land a significant contract, although a limited number of bidders would impact his overall leverage in any contract discussions.

An impressive showing in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder could help counter that, though, and perhaps generate even more interest around the league. He will be front and center in Los Angeles' attack alongside LeBron James, especially with Luka Dončić sidelined for at least the start of the series with a hamstring injury.

Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep during the regular season despite playing in an offense that also featured Dončić and James.

It raises the question about what his ceiling could be if he was the go-to option for a team, although rebuilding clubs the scout listed like the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets may not be in the position to spend a significant amount of money on him this offseason.

The end result could be a bigger contract with the Lakers, but his overall market remains one to watch heading into the offseason.