There is “zero chance” that Austin Reaves will opt into his player option with the LA Lakers next summer, meaning he will become a free agent, according to reports.
Austin Reaves stepped into his role as the LA Lakers’ third star last season alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He averaged 20.2 points per game last year and had a 45-point game without James or Doncic last season.
The Lakers have an elite trio with Doncic, James, and Reaves, who eye the NBA title this season. But this may be their last chance to win the championship with those three players leading the charge.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesAustin Reaves will become a free agent in 2026
Reaves enters the final year of his contract with the Lakers. He can choose to hit the open market and explore what teams are willing to offer him.
He can also opt into a one-year player option worth $14.9 million to keep him in LA for another season, but NBA reporter Kurt Helin said there is no chance that happens.
He wrote for NBC Sports, “Reaves will be a free agent. There is zero chance he is picking up his $14.9 million player option, even if he plans to stay with the Lakers.”
The Lakers, who re-signed Doncic this summer, now have a big decision to make on Reaves. If he maintains his level of production from last season, then the Lakers will most likely pay him.
Since March 1st, 12 players in the NBA are averaging 20+ PPG, 5+ RPG and 5+ APG.
The Lakers have three of them:
💪 Luka Dončić
💪 LeBron James
💪 Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/AHFY7nzrcD
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2025
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But Reaves scored only 16 points per game in the playoffs last season, and LA crashed out of the first round to Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves. Helin said that a lot of the Lakers’ decision hinges on next season’s playoffs.
He continued, “If Reaves shows this season that he can be a high-level scorer next to Luka Doncic and can step up his game in the playoffs, the Lakers gladly will pay that much to keep him (and Reaves will want to stay).
“However, if he struggles again in the playoffs, the Lakers — who will have a lot of cap space — may question whether that is the best way to spend their money.”
Austin Reaves wants to be paid like Tyler Herro
Helin said that Reaves wants to be paid comparably to Miami Heat All-Star Tyler Herro. He wrote, “Reaves reportedly wants to be paid in the Tyler Herro range of $30 million a year (and Herro is a good comp in a lot of ways).”
Austin Reaves is aiming for Tyler Herro money, and he’s betting big on himself 💰
Turning down nearly $90M from the Lakers wasn’t a gamble; it was a statement.
Reaves has his sights set on the $30M+ per year tier, right alongside Tyler Herro, Jordan Poole, and the league’s top… pic.twitter.com/vFV5BE6Jej
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 14, 2025
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Herro averaged four more points per game last season for the Heat, but didn’t have to contend for shots with two of the greatest NBA players of all time in James and Doncic. Performances throughout the season showed Reaves can carry the scoring load on any given night.
Admittedly, Reaves doesn’t have a Jack Harlow song named after him. That’s a point in Herro’s column.
He’d become one of the biggest free agents of the 2026 offseason, depending on how Trae Young’s negotiations with the Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Durant’s contract talks with the Houston Rockets play out.
The Lakers want to land a big-name free agent in 2027, according to reports, and giving Reaves this deal would hamper those plans. But Reaves has the opportunity to give the Lakers no choice through his performances this season.