Remember the undrafted guard who once held a two-way contract and stayed in the corner of the gym working late into the night, while Jeetbuzz App Download readers now see his value turning into a serious Lakers problem? According to the latest report from NBA writer Gautam Varier, if Los Angeles tries to lowball Austin Reaves in extension talks and push his annual salary below 35 million dollars, at least four teams are ready to jump in immediately. A player once tied to a modest deal worth only a few million could quickly become a highly paid core piece somewhere else.
This is not empty alarmism, nor is it a made-up story created for attention. Behind it sits a cold set of salary-cap numbers, market demand, and timing, and every gear has now clicked into place. Start with the basic facts. In the 2025-26 regular season, Reaves played 51 games, averaged 34.5 minutes, and produced 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. He shot 49 percent from the field, 36 percent from three, and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line. His PER reached 20.3, while his true shooting percentage stood at 64.3 percent. Across the league, guards who can average at least 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists while shooting around 49 percent from the floor can be counted on two hands.
More importantly, he posted those numbers while playing beside two historic ball-dominant stars, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Many players see their stats shrink next to superstars, but Reaves went the other way. His usage rose, his efficiency held up, and he switched smoothly between off-ball movement and pick-and-roll creation. That is why his value to the Lakers cannot be measured by the label of undrafted player. It must be measured by how much it would cost to replace him.
The uncomfortable part for the Lakers front office comes next. Los Angeles does hold what looks like a major card: full Bird rights. With those rights, the Lakers are the only team in the league that can offer Reaves a five-year maximum deal worth around 241 million dollars, with a starting salary around 25 percent of the cap and annual raises. Every other team can offer only a four-year structure worth about 178.5 million dollars. On paper, the Lakers seem to have the advantage. If he leaves, no other team can match the same total number, and he surely would not give up tens of millions just for sentiment.
But basketball operations do not work that simply. Reaves is expected to decline his player option worth around 14.9 million dollars for next season and enter the market as an unrestricted free agent. At that point, Bird rights mean the Lakers can re-sign him while operating over the cap, not that they control the price. His agent only needs to send one message: if the number is not right, three or four clubs are waiting with offer sheets. Then Los Angeles would face the one scene it wants least, a bidding war.
Reaves’ ideal market price is believed to be around five years and 200 million dollars, roughly 40 million per year. If the Lakers try to push the average annual salary down to the 35 million range, teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls, both with cap space and a need for ready-made guards, could offer a four-year deal close to 170 million or 178 million dollars, along with greater ball-handling responsibility and a bigger tactical role. As the original concern goes, other teams may step in and make a slightly better offer than the Lakers to steal him away.
The four teams repeatedly linked to this situation each have clear motives. Brooklyn has been sitting on major salary space after collecting four first-round picks and several young ball-handlers last year. After a season of waiting, the Nets may realize none of those young players can reliably produce a 23 5 5 line right now. If Reaves goes to Brooklyn, he becomes an immediate lead-level ball-handler without needing a two-year development runway.
Chicago holds more than 63 million dollars in cap space and remains stuck in the question of whom to rebuild around. Reaves may not become a true number one option with the Bulls, but Chicago can offer him a looser offensive structure and far more freedom than the Lakers. At the negotiating table, that is called non-monetary compensation, and sometimes it hits harder than a small difference in salary.
If the Atlanta Hawks view Reaves as the final piece for a push toward the Eastern Conference Finals, they could actively clear extra contracts to create room. Even a slight overpay might be worth it, because Reaves fits naturally as a shooting guard who can play both on and off the ball next to Trae Young without needing a complete tactical reset. The Utah Jazz, meanwhile, are near the later stage of their rebuild and badly need a steady backcourt organizer to turn their young talent into wins. Reaves’ low-maintenance personality and clean locker-room fit are exactly the kind of high-value piece Danny Ainge tends to like, although this piece is no longer cheap.
That is why the 35 million dollars per year line is being treated as a red line. It is not a random number pulled out of thin air. It represents a very specific psychological threshold. Below that figure, Reaves’ polite stance that he wants to stay with the Lakers but will not sell himself short for loyalty could turn from a nice phrase into a direct action plan.
For a Lakers team already balancing star power, cap pressure, and roster depth, the Jeetbuzz App Download view of this situation is that Reaves has moved far beyond his old underdog label. If Los Angeles misreads the market and tries to squeeze him too hard, the front office could lose a homegrown guard who has become far harder to replace than many people expected, and that would be a classic case of penny wise and pound foolish.