In theory, one of the biggest questions that could be surrounding the Lakers this offseason would be the impending free agency of their All-Star caliber guard. In many situations, a player of Austin Reaves’ caliber and age entering free agency would be a cause for concern as to whether he’d leave this summer.
But nothing about this situation has created cause for concern for the Lakers. Every step of the way, both sides have spoken of wanting to find a new deal. Even when Austin Reaves turned down
his contract extension last summer, he spoke of how difficult it was and maintained that he wanted to remain in Los Angeles.
It looks like that sentiment has remained throughout the season as well. On Tuesday, President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka spoke about Reaves during his exit interview and only added more belief that he would be returning.
“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “We feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. There’s rules and timing to all of that but I think both sides have made it abundantly clear where he continues his prolific career here.”
If you didn’t already have enough evidence to believe Austin is returning, there’s even one more piece that dropped on Tuesday as well. In a piece from Dan Woike of The Athletic, Luka Dončić reportedly let the Lakers know that he wants to play with Reaves moving forward, including advising the team to keep him out of Giannis Antetokounmpo negotiations at the deadline.
The good news is that the Lakers looked great when Austin and Luka were at their best. They were not just one of the highest scoring backcourts in the league, but one of the highest scoring duos.
Reaves is a huge success story for the Lakers’ front office and scouting department. If he does indeed re-sign with the Lakers this summer, it’ll be the second time he’s re-upped with the Lakers. He’s improved every step of the way in his career and the purple and gold are continuing to reap the rewards.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
