The Lakers confirmed that they intend to give Austin Reaves a four-year, $185 million max extension earlier this week, since teams are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents before the official free agency begins.
Draymond Green and Kendrick Perkins seemed to be skeptical about the Lakers pulling off such a deal after a second-round exit from the 2026 playoffs. Green spoke about it on the latest episode of his podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show’.
“Austin Reaves signed a four-year, $185 million max deal with the Lakers. He was apparently heavily courted by the Pistons, which helped ultimately raise the Lakers’ offer. I was a bit surprised by the Lakers going so high….I just didn’t expect the Lakers to go so high.”
“On a team where you had Austin Reaves, you had Luka Doncic, and you had LeBron James, the team didn’t fare as well as one would hope. So, I thought the Lakers would stand pat. A little bit longer, maybe try to see if they can negotiate that number down quite a bit, but apparently, the Pistons raised the offer,” said Green initially.
“I think and believe the Lakers are all in on Austin Reaves. I think that’s what this four-year, $185 million max deal shows,” Green added. “The expectation of what he’s expected to do raises tremendously. I think Austin Reaves has had some struggles in the playoffs. You have those struggles making $45 million a year; it’s not viewed the same way when you’re making $23 million a year”
“So, I will warn Austin Reaves. Prepare for what’s to come with that. You have to play great now, at all times. You have to have a great playoff series. You’re not allowed to struggle, or people will crush you. That’s what happens when you sign these bigger deals, and you move up the hierarchy in the NBA”
While Green was a bit more supportive, Kendrick Perkins seemed a bit more hostile with his criticism. The former Celtics player appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today and addressed Reaves’ contract extension.
“They gave Austin Reaves $185 million? And Austin Reaves, if you weren’t serving Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss breakfast in bed, I am talking grapes, cut fruit, everything for what they gifted you,” said Perkins.
“We’re talking about the Lakers. We’re not talking about the Clippers. As a guy who played for a storied NBA franchise in the Boston Celtics, there’s no in-between. It’s either championship or bust.”
The Lakers guard ended last season averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 51 games while shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from behind the three-point line.
I agree with Draymond Green to the extent that the Lakers have now made Reaves more vulnerable to public scrutiny because of his salary, but I do not agree with any questions over Reaves deserving the money he has gotten. He carried the Lakers’ offense in multiple stretches through the season when Luka Doncic was injured or LeBron James was.
While Reaves has agreed to an $185 million extension, the team has not yet made it official. So the Lakers have a lot of temporary space in their salary cap sheet to make moves in free agency. Once they figure out the right mix of players to go alongside him and Doncic, the deal will be made official.
Therefore, with the confirmation that LeBron James is not returning next season, it will be very interesting to see how the Lakers build around Reaves and Doncic as their cornerstone pieces.
