Now that Luka Doncic has agreed to a three-year contract extension, the Los Angeles Lakers can move forward with a large amount of certainty, as they know that their new superstar will be around for a while. But they do have another relatively young star who will soon be able to opt out and seek a new contract.
Austin Reaves, who has raised his production in each of the last few seasons, has a player option for the 2026-27 season that he can decline in order to become a free agent next summer. Fans seem divided on whether they want him to stay or be traded, but it looks like both sides want to get a new deal done.
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One NBA executive said that he thinks Reaves will command at least $30 million a year on his next deal, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
“I think he will get $30 [million] plus,” one executive told ESPN, echoing multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command.
Given the current economic market across the league, that sounds about right for Reaves, given that he averaged 20.2 points and 5.8 assists a game this past season. Once Luka Doncic made his Lakers debut in February, Reaves put up 21.9 points a game on 47.8% field-goal shooting and 39.6% from 3-point range through the rest of the regular season, although he played a bit beneath his standards in L.A.’s first-round playoff loss versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The team originally signed Reaves as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He is certainly one of the more successful undrafted players in NBA history, and he will soon become one of the wealthiest such players the league has ever seen.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: NBA executive on how much Austin Reaves will make on his next contract