The Los Angeles Lakers will tip off their season on Tuesday night when they host the Golden State Warriors. It will be the start of what is expected to be a season with much hope for the purple and gold .
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The Lakers have high expectations for themselves, led by their superstar guard, Luka Doncic. Doncic will enter his first full season in LA, and anything short of a championship will be considered a failure.
All eyes will be on Doncic throughout the season, and the same could be said for their second-best player to enter the season, Austin Reaves. Reaves will enter his fifth season in the league, all with the Lakers, and this will be his biggest season yet. Not only because of the expectations entering the season for LA, but because he has a chance to earn his big money next offseason.
Reaves is currently on a bargain deal, and he has a chance to earn north of $30 million next offseason. The 26-year-old had a chance to sign a contract extension with the Lakers this past summer, but he respectfully declined and bet on himself.
The question now remains whether Reaves will opt out of his deal next summer. The answer to that question is as close to a resounding ‘yes’ as it can be. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Reaves will most certainly opt out of his contract, and the Lakers are the favorites to sign him.
“There is a 0.0% chance Austin Reaves signs a contract extension — and a 99.9% chance he opts out of his $14.8 million player option for next season. We could say “sources say” here because we did check on it, but it’s also a no-brainer.
“Reaves has one of the best value contracts in the NBA because of contract extension rules. Players can get only 140% of their current salary in an extension, which means Reaves is up for a deal worth roughly $89 million over four years, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. His market will be much higher. The Lakers have his full rights and are favorites to re-sign him, but everyone understands why he’s not signing now.”
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Reaves is currently on a four-year deal worth $54 million. He is coming off his best season of his career, averaging 20.2 points per game. He’ll look for an even better season starting Tuesday.
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