Austin Reaves is eligible to sign a five-year, $241 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer after rejecting a four-year, $89 million offer in June. While not obsessed with maximizing every dollar, Reaves understands industry standards based on comparable players, sources said.
The Lakers offered Reaves the maximum extension allowed under the collective bargaining agreement on June 23, one day after the NBA Finals. Sources with knowledge of the call said the meeting included acting governor Jeanie Buss, general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick.
Reaves can sign for five years and $241 million with Los Angeles or four years and $178.5 million elsewhere, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The first-year salary of $41.5 million represents 25 percent of the 2026-27 salary cap.
Two comparable shooting guards, Jordan Poole and Tyler Herro, signed extensions with their original teams in 2022 worth 20 percent of the salary cap. A player earning 20% of the cap in 2026-27 would make approximately $33 million annually.
“I try not to think about it. Honestly. I’ve said it a million times. I want to be in L.A. I love it,” Reaves told ESPN. “Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to go get a f—ing gigantic number that don’t make sense.”
An Eastern Conference front office executive told ESPN that Brooklyn could pursue Reaves aggressively in free agency.
“AR’s a stud,” the executive said. “If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce.”
Reaves has led the Lakers to an 8-3 start while LeBron James and Luka Doncic dealt with injuries. He scored a career-high 51 points against Sacramento, followed by 41 against Portland and a 28-point, 16-assist performance with a buzzer-beater against Minnesota.
JJ Redick emphasized leadership development with Reaves throughout the summer, encouraging him to take ownership alongside James and Doncic. The undrafted guard is in the final year of a four-year, $54 million deal signed in 2023 as a restricted free agent.