NBA Rumors: The Big Bucks That Will Have to Be Offered to Austin Reaves to Get Him out of the Lakers
With LeBron James absent, he is accompanying Luka Doncic in the attack for the Los Angeles franchise and is emerging as the team's third star.
Luka Doncic returned on Friday with another display of over 40 points to lead Los Angeles Lakers. However, in the three previous games, with Doncic and LeBron James out due to injury, the offensive focus shifted to Austin Reaves. And the shooting guard has taken advantage of the opportunity to show that, in a context of maximum responsibility, he can also act as the main scorer.
During that stretch, Reaves delivered performances of 51, 41, and 28 points as the absolute reference of the team, including a buzzer-beater that turned heads across the league during the week. A devastating performance that has reignited the debate about his true competitive ceiling.
Reaves' impact has not gone unnoticed among NBA executives. According to a source from the West, his current performance shows that he has the ability to lead an offense when given the ball and enough offensive volume. This impression could translate into a lucrative offer in his upcoming free agency, scheduled for this summer.
According to Tim Bontemps (ESPN), a league executive believes Reaves could receive offers of up to 180 million dollars for four seasons in the open market, which would equate to an annual salary close to 45 million.
The Lakers have an advantage in retaining him
Despite that figure, the Los Angeles organization could secure his continuity through a five-year contract which, although with a lower average salary, would exceed the total value of any external offer. The feeling in various NBA offices is that both parties share the interest in maintaining the relationship and that the agreement should be finalized when the time comes.
However, the presence of LeBron James and Doncic will reduce his offensive volume on a daily basis, as executive voices admit. Still, the consensus is that Reaves has proven that his progress is real and sustainable.
The shooting guard has improved in each of his four seasons in Los Angeles, and this season has taken a leap forward: averaging 20.2 points and 5.8 assists, shooting 37.7% from three-point range, establishing himself as a key piece in the Lakers' system. Additionally, he has become the sixth player in history to start a season with at least 30 points and 10 assists on average in his first five games, and the first of the Lakers to string together five initial games of 25 or more points since Kobe Bryant two decades ago.
Reaves has a player option of 14.9 million for the next season, but all signs point to him rejecting it. With the figures being discussed, his future inevitably revolves around signing a long-term contract, whether in Los Angeles or, if needed, elsewhere. The truth is that, in this early season, he has shown that he is ready for an elite role and salary.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rumores NBA: El dineral que habrá que ofrecerle a Austin Reaves para sacarlo de los Lakers
