ESPN expert on a decision Lakers need to make on a critical player

[ASFN Admin]

The Los Angeles Lakers have some work to do this offseason in order to make sure they will have a roster fully capable of competing for the NBA championship next season. They need a starting-caliber center, as well as better guard and wing depth, and they also need to see what LeBron James, who has a player option for next season, decides to do.

They also need to try to get Luka Doncic signed to some sort of an extension. He will be eligible for one starting in early August, and if he doesn't sign one, he can opt out of his contract next summer.

But as ESPN analyst Bobby Marks pointed out, the Lakers will also need to give Austin Reaves an extension fairly soon. He agreed to a team-friendly deal two summers ago, and next season will be the final year of that deal.

Via ESPN:

"The four-year, $53.8 million deal Austin Reaves signed in 2023 is considered one of the best value deals in the league," Marks wrote. "Reaves' $13.9 million salary next season is below the non-tax midlevel exception. Reaves finished the regular season averaging career highs in points (20.2), assists (5.8) and rebounds (4.5). After the Lakers acquired Doncic, Reaves shot 48% from the field and 40% on 3-pointers in the regular season.

"But the bargain contract also could play a role in Reaves deciding to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason. Because of his team-friendly salary, the maximum extension the Lakers can offer is four years, $89.2 million. The first-year salary of $19.9 million is 140% of the average player salary, the maximum allowed under the CBA.

"If Reaves bypasses the extension and becomes a free agent, the Lakers and teams with cap space would be allowed to sign him next offseason to a contract worth up to 25% of the salary cap. His first-year starting salary in that contract would be $42.5 million."

Reaves' next contract should be the one that makes him very wealthy. Unfortunately, that contract could complicate the team's efforts to put a championship team around Doncic, especially given the new ultra-restrictive salary cap.

But he has become an All-Star caliber player, and unless Los Angeles decides to trade him for a player or multiple players who fit better, he will continue to be very important to its success. If he were to leave in free agency next summer, it would be a drastic blow to the Lakers' efforts to start collecting championship rings again.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: ESPN expert on a decision Lakers need to make on a critical player

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