It s hard to take action in four years of maximum salary! The Lakers are backfired by a cheap contract of 13.9 million, Reeves is destined to leave the team

Because LeBron James feels that the Los Angeles Lakers management no longer values him, he may have become dissatisfied with the Lakers. Once he decides to leave the Los Angeles Lakers, the team will get a lot of cap space at the end of the season. If that happens, the Lakers may be able to retain Austin Reeves, who is about to become a free agent.

But despite this, Reeves will then become a non-restricted free agent and will fully control his own destiny, so it is very likely that he will decide to leave the Lakers and get a bigger contract from another team. According to The Ringer reporter Michael Pina, Reeves may not be on the Lakers again after next season. Pina reported: "Austin Reeves is fighting for a new contract, which will inevitably be expensive, and his defense is too unstable, so it doesn't make sense to stay him after this season."

If Reeves makes it clear to the Lakers that he will not renew his contract, the Lakers may try to trade him to ensure they don't lose him in vain. For the Lakers, Reeves may be the team's most valuable trading asset, and the value mainly comes from his contribution on the offensive end. He has scoring skills at the basket, mid-range and outside the three-point line, and has developed good organizational skills.

Reeves has an astonishingly low annual salary this season, with only $13.9 million, and has a $14.9 million player option in the 2026-27 season. He will almost certainly choose to jump out of his contract and end up becoming an unrestricted free agent. It is precisely because of the restrictions on the 4-year, $54 million cheap contract given by the Lakers in 2023 that according to league rules, the Lakers can only offer Reeves a four-year, $90 million contract extension contract, which is far lower than the market value of $30 million that Reeves expects. So once the contract expires, Reeves will be able to get a bigger salary increase from teams outside Los Angeles, which is why it is widely believed that he will leave the Lakers.

Reeves does like the Lakers' team culture, and he also likes the lineup that has been established, but after all, money is the most important thing. Reeves hit career highs in many data last season, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, shooting 46% from the field and 37.7% from the three-point line. His value in the league has also increased.