Asking for 30 million yuan to force the Lakers! Reeves was revealed to reject the player option, and the transaction will be made at the latest early next year

Austin Reeves has two years left on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers (the second year is the player option), but after the end of this season, there may be a lot of variables in his future with the Lakers. According to Bleacher Report's well-known reporter Eric Pincus this week, Reeves will almost certainly turn down the $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season, thus becoming an unrestricted free agent that summer to try the free market. In addition, Pincus also reported that Reeves will seek a multi-year contract with a starting salary of up to $30 million.

Reeves, 26, has an annual salary of only $13.9 million in the 2025-26 season. According to NBA regulations, the Lakers can only provide Reeves with an average annual salary of $19 million, which is much lower than the $30 million he expected in the free agent market.

Reeves is a player who is loved by Lakers fans and is also one of the few successful cases of team potential tapping in the team in the LeBron James era. He has made significant progress this season. Even if he shares the ball with James and Luca Doncic, he can still average 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.

But if Reeves' psychological price is so high, he probably won't be with the Lakers for too long. The editor feels that since the Lakers urgently need a more balanced lineup and have a larger size and height in the frontcourt, their wisest approach now is to cash out at a high level this offseason (or at the latest before the trade deadline for next season February) and trade Reeves to maximize returns. Some media have already suggested that the Lakers use Reeves and first-round draft picks to trade the best defensive player of 2023, Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies. Although Jackson lacks rebounding ability as a center, he can perfectly adapt to Doncic's style of play as the fifth position in the small ball lineup.