Austin Reaves rejects the Lakers' contract renewal offer!

The Los Angeles Lakers offered Austin Reaves a contract extension this week for four years and $89 million, but the guard decided to turn it down in hopes of securing a more lucrative deal next summer, as reported by Dan Woike of The Athletic, citing league sources.

As Woike explains, the $89 million over four seasons is the maximum that Los Angeles could currently offer to Reaves, who is entering his third year of a four-year, $54 million contract. It is expected that the 27-year-old player will decline his player option of $14.9 million for the 2026/27 season, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer.

While this decision could be seen as a sign of a rift between the player and the franchise, Woike clarifies that this is not the case. In fact, the outcome was expected due to the salary constraints imposed on the Lakers in this situation. The organization has never seriously considered trading Reaves and continues to highly value his contribution, as detailed by the journalist.

Reaves has significantly exceeded expectations from his current contract. In the 2024/25 season, his fourth in the NBA, he posted career-best numbers: 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, playing 73 games with an average of 34.9 minutes per night. Additionally, he shot a solid field goal percentage of 46%, 37.7% from three-point range, and 87.7% from the free-throw line. If he maintains this level, he could secure a much higher contract in 2026 than the one he just rejected.

Possibilities for Reaves and the Lakers

If he chooses not to renew before that summer, Reaves will retain his Bird rights, allowing the Lakers to offer him any amount up to the maximum salary. However, in that scenario, he would become an unrestricted free agent, opening the door for other teams to try to entice him with significant offers, potentially causing some unease within the Los Angeles franchise.

Nevertheless, as Woike emphasizes, any interested team would be in the same position as the Lakers at the moment, and there are no signs of discontent between the parties. On the contrary, both Reaves and the Lakers would be fully willing to negotiate a new agreement next summer, as the journalist has tweeted. "I want to be in Los Angeles. I want to play my whole career there. I love being in the city. I love the fans, the weather, the golf," Reaves stated in an interview with K8 News earlier this month. "And obviously, the Lakers are the best organization in basketball."

On another note, the Los Angeles team continues to be "aggressive" in their search for a center, although no new acquisitions have been finalized at this time, Woike adds.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¡Austin Reaves rechaza la oferta de renovación de los Lakers!