Lakers Must Sign LeBron and Austin Reaves to New Contracts to Contend amid NBA Free Agency Rumors

If the Los Angeles Lakers were only able to re-sign one of their free agents during the 2026 NBA offseason, they'd have an easy, obvious choice.

It's Austin Reaves, the 28-year-old scoring guard who essentially breaks out every season and finished his fifth campaign right on the cusp of full-fledged stardom.

That, of course, carries a by-default meaning that the answer is not LeBron James, the 41-year-old GOAT candidate who was an All-Star this season and an All-NBA second-team honoree in the prior one. He has Reaves beat in name recognition and accolades by a mile, but that 13-year age gap settles the score when it comes to importance to this organization. And L.A. knows it.

"Reaves is more of a priority for the Lakers than LeBron is," NBA insider Jovan Buha said (36:40 mark). "That's just a fact."

This, honestly, shouldn't be much of a debate.

James might have another season left in him; Reaves could have another decade-plus. James is doing what he can to diminish the effects of aging but still feeling them like never before; there's a very good chance that Reaves' best basketball is still ahead of him.

That alone is enough to make Reaves the top priority, but there's also this: His market could be thriving, as he offers plug-and-play potential for win-now teams but is also young enough to attract rebuilders who want to turn the corner sometime in the foreseeable future. James' market seems awfully narrow, and none of his presumed suitors (teams like Cleveland or Golden State) has much money to spend.

So, again, there are both business and basketball reasons for the Lakers to have Reaves—not James—atop their free agency big board.

However, that shouldn't mean James' days in L.A. are numbered. Because if the Lakers are honest with themselves, they almost certainly need both Reaves and James on the roster if they're going to make any serious buzz next season.

And they don't have to choose. Their ability to retain both simply comes down to their willingness to spend. It's always easy to spend someone else's money, obviously, but having one more crack at this with the Reaves-James-Luka Dončić core seems far preferable to forging forward with only two of the three.

It'd be one thing if there was an obvious alternative on the market, but this free agent crop underwhelms and offers no risk-free saviors.

Do the Lakers really want to give Jalen Duren a blank check after the rough playoffs he just had? And would the Detroit Pistons even let him walk if the did? Is there a dollar amount that the Utah Jazz wouldn't match for Walker Kessler? And would the Lakers be comfortable offering it after he just had a season erased by shoulder surgery?

There isn't a play in free agency that holds more appeal than locking in the Reaves-James-Dončić trio and searching for support pieces around them. Between the draft, the trade market and the lower-tiered targets in free agency, L.A. will have options to chase the size, defense and perimeter shooting this roster would need.

As long as the Lakers are building around this foundation, they should be a factor again next season.