After a breakout year and emerging as a genuine scoring option, should Purple & Gold keep Austin Reaves? From being undrafted to proving his worth under the brightest light in LA, the 27-year-old truly established himself as one of the guards that the team can rely on. The Laker Nation recently received the news that Luka Doncic has extended his contract with a three-year, $165 million deal. Should they expect similar news for AR?

For starters, the Sooners alum already declined a four-year extension, worth almost $90 million. In fact, many predict the Lakers won’t get his signature to his $14.8 million player option for 2026–27. Despite his dip in performance in the playoffs, there are still those who back Austin Reaves to earn his payday. Jovan Buha once again shared what the current market situation is for Reaves in his latest appearance on Access SportsNet: Lakers. 

“I think he’s more of, like, a $30 to 35 million a year player. If you look at some of the guys in that range, guys like Immanuel Quickley or Tyler Herro, I think Austin is easily in that class and better than actually a lot of the guys kind of in that like 30 to 32 million dollar range,” Buha explained. Scoring 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds, despite being the third option during the regular season, practically commands that salary. But will that mean the Los Angeles franchise actually extend him?

“I expect it to be with the Lakers. I expect him to re-sign on a multi-year deal, and I think that’s the shrewd move from LA’s part.” Buha also specified his expectation for the total contract value, adding, “I expect the next contract to be four years, $120 million plus.”

But the best part about the whole thing? “He [Reaves] wants to be a Laker. He wants to be a Laker for life,” Jovan shared. Just two months ago, Austin Reveas echoed this sentiment, explaining what it means for him to put on the Lakers threads.

“I want to play my whole career in LA. I love it there.” Reaves was at his basketball camp in Arkansas. “I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf. And obviously the Lakers is the best organization in basketball.” So, Buha’s recent statement confirms that the intention of staying with the Lakers is still strong despite the interest and contract delay with the franchise.

Austin Reaves’ market value gets stamp of approval from former players

The top stars in the league set the market. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million supermax contract extension. Meaning he will command $71.3 million per season. Similarly, if Reaves’ teammate, Luka Doncic, re-signs in 2028 free agency, he could ink a five-year deal worth up to $417 million. Keeping these numbers in mind, AR’s current contract is for 4 years, $53.8 million. With his rise in the past season, the financials don’t justify his contribution.

Matt Barnes touched upon Austin Reaves’ future free agency recently on the Big Shot Bob podcast. “I know the other teams can give him a lot more than the Lakers can”. The former champion further added, “Hey, to be a Golden White boy is a killer attribute in our league, boys…I think, of $160-180. You know, they, the max, I think he get is like 240 or something. I don’t know if it’ll get that high.” Similarly, even Austin Rivers suggested that the 27-year-old deserves the $30 million price tag despite a glaring issue on his Off Guard pod.

“He didn’t play as great as versus Minnesota. And some of those matchups were problematic for him. But I still think Reaves is a big-time player. If you average in 20 points a game dog, you can get 25 to 30 million a year… Anybody who’s averaging 20 or above is making $30 million a year, man,” Rivers noted. Now, the player wants it to stay. Other former stars and market factors suggest that the deal should be closer to $30 million a year. But the final decision rests on Rob Pelinka.