Luka Dončić is in awe of his undrafted teammate, Austin Reaves, who has blossomed into the Los Angeles Lakers‘ third star.
Reaves led the Lakers in scoring with 30 points to go with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in their 125-109 rout of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, March 18.
“I mean, this guy just scored 30 in his four games in five days, and that explains everything,” Dončić said of Reaves. “He’s an amazing player. For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It’s not easy to go undrafted and then play at this level. It’s amazing just to be by his side.”
Over his last four games, Reaves averaged 30.8 points, 7.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds as he picked up the slack during LeBron James‘ absence.
Reaves’ rise has prompted the conversation about him as the best “third star” in the NBA.
ESPN’s Tim Legler said on “NBA Today” on Tuesday, March 18 that the conversation should start now.
Former Laker Pat Beverley has already started that conversation a month ago.
“I like what the Lakers have,’ Beverley said on his “Pat Bev Podcast with Rone” on Feb. 12. “And you talk about a third option, you look around the NBA, he might be the best third option in the NBA in Austin Reaves.”
The Luka Effect
The 26-year-old Reaves is having the best season of his NBA career, averaging 19.6 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.6% from the 3-point line.
But he’s turned up the notch after the All-Star break, becoming a legitimate third star.
In his last 13 games, Reaves is averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 38.8% from the 3-point line.
Dončić’s arrival has gotten Reaves more open looks.
“Luka obviously causes so much havoc for teams’ defenses that the majority of the time, you’ve got to blitz him, and then you’re playing four-on-three,” Reaves told reporters after their win over the Spurs. “It’s just a fun brand of basketball, and after a long road trip that we were really bad on, it’s good to be at home and get back to winning.”
Austin Reaves’ Looming Contract Extension
Reaves has already outplayed the four-year, $54 million extension he signed in the summer of 2023. Reaves, 26, becomes extension-eligible beginning on July 6.
The undrafted guard is looking to cash in on his star turn. Extending him will be one of the Lakers’ top priorities this summer.
But according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Reaves is expected to decline an extension offer from the Lakers this offseason and will opt out after next season.
“How I expect this to play out is the Lakers will make their contract extension offer to Austin on July 6 or sometime around then and they will offer him about four years, $88 million-ish to 90 million,” The Athletic’s Lakers beat reporter said on his podcast “Buha’s Block” on Feb. 25. “Somewhere in that range, which if you average that out is about 22-23 million per year on an annual basis that is below Austin’s market value.”
Decline and Opt-Out?
With the salary cap increasing due to the new TV money, waiting for next year could help Reaves get more money after he signed a bargained contract with the Lakers two summers ago.
“I suspect the Lakers will make the formal offer of an extension and say, ‘Hey, this is the most we can offer. We’d love for you to sign this and remain a Laker for the foreseeable future,” Buha continued. “I’d expect Austin to decline that and not sign that extension and then opt out after the 2025-26 season. He’s got a player option for 2026-27.”
But Buha was quick to add Reaves will try to remain with the team that believed in him and gave him his NBA shot.
“So, I think in that 2026 summer, he will opt out,” Buha added. “He will test free agency, and then he will try to remain a Laker long-term, but it’s gonna come down to what type of contract they offer him. He’s a guy who should be making at least $27-28+ million, if not $30+ million moving forward.”
But there’s also a chance Reaves might sign this summer for the guaranteed money, though much less than he could potentially earn if he waits another year, as there is always the risk of a serious injury.
