HOT NEWS…
The Lakers have major decisions to make regarding their organization’s future once LeBron James eventually calls it quits to retire. Based on a new report from an insider, it sounds like Los Angeles is bracing for another player to leave the team once LeBron does.
26-year-old shooting guard Austin Reaves can opt out of his four-year contract following next year. He’s become a budding star and would have a healthy market should he decide to test the waters. That’s become more likely than not to happen.
“I would say it’s close to 50-50,” Buha said in his podcast, Buha’s Block, when discussing the chance of Reaves leaving. “I would lean probably 55 percent (he does) not (stay) because he can opt out after next season and I think he’s going to have a competitive market.”
His current contract is one of the league’s most team-friendly deals. He only carries cap hits of around $13 million, a steal for the Lakers. Thus, it makes sense that Reaves could want to earn a significantly larger payday after opting out.
On the season, Reaves is averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game on 44.8% shooting from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc. He’s established himself as a big-game player who has increased his scoring average every year of his career.
Landing him as an undrafted free agent was incredible work by the team. Now, it’ll be on them to ensure they don’t let Reaves walk for nothing.
“(Reaves’ future is) depending on…the Lakers potentially going in a different direction or having some difficult decisions to make if LeBron retires,” Buha continues. “If LeBron retires all of a sudden, you have to decide what you want to do with AD and how you’re going to find that star to play with him.”
That could mean a total rebuild and not committing major money to a guy who probably won’t be your first or second-best player. Nonetheless, Reaves deserves to stay in Los Angeles if he wants to continue his career there.
This is an ideal role player. If the Lakers aren’t careful, they could lose two stars in one short offseason.
