Lakers’ Austin Reaves declined max extension that would have paid $89.2 million over four years, per report

Los Angeles Lakers sharpshooter Austin Reaves is eligible for a big pay raise this offseason, but he has decided to be patient regarding his next extension. According to The Athletic, Reaves formally declined a max extension from the Lakers that would have paid him $89.2 million over the next four years. 

Reaves has one more “year” remaining on his current contract, and then a player option in 2026-27. What he can now do is decline that player option in the future, hit unrestricted free agency and potentially cash in on a much larger contract. 

The Athletic reports that Reaves’ decision to decline the max extension was not an indication that the 27-year-old guard is contemplating a change of scenery, but simply a financial move to open the door for more potential money in his next contract. 

“I want to be in L.A.,” Reaves said at his Reaves Brothers Basketball Camp earlier this month. “If they want to trade me, then we’ll start something new somewhere else. But like I said, I want to be in L.A. I want to be in L.A. I want to play my whole career in L.A. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf. And obviously the Lakers is the best organization in basketball. I don’t pay attention to [the noise]. I keep my head down, work, and I feel like that’s one of the reasons I’m where I’m at.”

Lakers’ Austin Reaves addresses trade buzz, says he hopes to play for Los Angeles his entire NBA career

Carter Bahns

Reaves is coming off a career year in which he averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. His points per game and assists per game have increased in all four of his seasons, and he just became one of 10 players in Lakers history to average 20 points and five assists per game in a season. 

Undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2021, Reaves cashed in for the first time via a four-year, $54 million extension signed in 2023. Now, he’s hoping for an even larger pay day in the future.