Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
How the Lakers’ season will end is very much in flux. They can finish the year as high as the No. 3 seed in the West and can still fall all the way down to the play-in if they go on a losing streak.
Once the postseason begins, it’s anyone’s guess how well or poorly that will go.
While
how the 2025-26 season concludes for the purple and gold is still in question, one thing is certain: this will be a big summer for the Lakers.
They’ll have a ton of cap space and open roster spots available to be very aggressive in the free agency market as they look to build the best contender possible around Luka Dončić.
Austin Reaves is one of those players who will have to decide where he’ll play next year. He will be an unrestructed free agent this offseason and is reportedly looking for a big payday. If the Lakers pay that price, they’ll be locked into a backcourt featuring Dončić and Reaves for years to come.
But is that the best path forward?
For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we asked fans how confident they are in a Dončić-Reaves backcourt. The results are in, and the overwhelming majority, 80%, are confident in the duo.
Clearly, Lakers fans believe in Luka and Austin. And they have good reasons to. Dončić is leading the NBA in scoring and is just entering his prime.
Reaves has gotten better every year and is putting up his best numbers this season, averaging 23.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Had he not suffered a calf injury and missed a bunch of games, he would’ve likely made his first All-Star appearance this season.
It’s very possible we haven’t yet seen the best basketball either player will get to, and locking up this duo for their best years seems like a good use of LA’s resources.
Their chemistry on and off the court is incredible, and as the seasons go on, this tandem will likely only get better. While most Lakers fans like the Dončić-Reaves backcourt being the future, 11% were unsure.
The hesitance is likely because we have yet to see this duo find postseason success. Last year in the playoffs, the Wolves picked apart the Lakers, and both Dončić and Reaves struggled in the series. With the goal always being a championship, Lakers fans will be watching this year’s playoff run and undoubtedly putting a lot of stock into how well Luka and Austin perform against the best in the West.
The good news for the Lakers front office is that only 9% of fans are not confident in this backcourt pairing. That’s a relatively low number, so re-signing Reaves seems like it will be an easy and popular decision to make this summer.
Overall, the future looks bright for the Lakers with Luka and Austin as the two main players the team can build around. Last season, the Lakers were a 50-win team and similar success is still on the table this year. And if they bring back Austin, that type of winning will be a realistic outcome moving forward.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
