Now that the Los Angeles Lakers’ season has come to an end after being swept by the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round, Austin Reaves has a lot to think about regarding his future.
Reaves has a player option for next season at $14.9 million that he is surely going to decline coming off a career year. While that will make Reaves an unrestricted free agent for the first time, he admitted that is not something he has thought about yet with the season just coming to an end.
“I’m gonna be honest. Like I said, I’ve been around for five years. Y’all, I would say know me pretty well… But I don’t think about much. I take life day-by-day, and I’m just blessed to have an opportunity to play for this organization,” Reaves said.
“I play a kid’s game; I make good money. Like I said, I don’t think about what I’m really gonna do in the future. I’m just day-by-day.”
Ever since the Lakers signed Reaves as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2021, he has loved being in the organization and they have loved having him. It will be interesting to see if that feeling stays mutual going into this offseason when Reaves will test free agency, although all indications are that it will.
The maximum contract Reaves could sign with the Lakers would be five-year, $241 million. It’s unlikely he will get the full max, but the 27-year-old is surely in for a massive pay-day this summer.
Whether that is with the Lakers or elsewhere remains to be seen, but Reaves is coming off a career year and is close with Luka Doncic both on and off the court, which are factors the organization will weigh when deciding how much to offer the guard.
In 51 games this past season, Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 49% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.
Austin Reaves wants to keep improving
Reaves has improved every year of his career with the Lakers, and he feels he can continue to do so despite putting up his best numbers in 2025-26.
“Yeah, this was obviously my best season since I’ve been a pro. The numbers and stuff. But yeah, I always think that’s the beautiful thing about basketball,” he said. “There’s opportunities and areas that you can continue to grow. You’re never gonna be complete in the full game. So take some time off and get back in the gym and continue to get better.”
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