Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić just watched his team get swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals. Dončić missed every game of the postseason while recovering from a hamstring injury that he suffered on April 2.
The Lakers have some big decisions to make this offseason, with Austin Reaves and LeBron James both expected to hit unrestricted free agency. According to a report, Dončić has strong feelings about Reaves’ future in Los Angeles.
Luka Dončić Pushes Lakers to Keep Austin Reaves
Dončić is the Lakers’ face of the franchise going forward, and the front office will be building everything around him. Reaves’ struggles in the postseason raised questions about whether the Lakers should give him a massive payday once he opts out this offseason, but Dončić has made it clear that he wants the franchise to retain his running mate.
“Dončić has made it clear to the Lakers that he would like to continue playing with Reaves, according to league sources,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike and Sam Amick wrote. “Beyond their close friendship, Dončić believes in Reaves as a long-term piece next to him.”
While injuries limited his regular season to just 51 games, Reaves returned in the playoffs, averaging 20 points across six playoff games. Reaves had some solid games and some duds as he returned from injury and shook off the rust. While he didn’t look like himself and received some criticism for his up-and-down play, he is a three-level scorer who has developed chemistry with Dončić.
Furthermore, the two are very close friends off the court, which could also factor into the Lakers’ decision. Just how badly does Dončić want Reaves in Los Angeles?
“Multiple league sources said that belief was best illustrated when Dončić told people within the organization that he wouldn’t want Reaves included in any potential trade packages for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Woike and Amick reported.
“Dončić, those sources say, would strongly prefer a team construction that includes him and Reaves alongside whatever star the Lakers could acquire.”
The Lakers have been linked to the two-time NBA MVP, but Dončić obviously wields a lot of power in the organization. He signed a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension with Los Angeles last offseason; he has two more guaranteed years on his contract followed by a $59,198,976 player option for the 2028-29 season.
If Dončić is pounding the table for Los Angeles to keep Reaves, there’s a good chance that he will be back. During the regular season, Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points along with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. The 27-year-old has exceeded all expectations since going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In addition to Reaves, the Lakers will have decisions to make on James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, Maxi Kleber, and Jaxson Hayes, plus potentially Deandre Ayton ($8,104,000 player option) and Marcus Smart ($5,390,700 player option) if they opt out.
This will be a pivotal offseason for the Lakers, and next year’s roster could look significantly different when the dust settles.
