Austin Reaves Turns Down Max Extension From Lakers

As Austin Reaves hears his name involved in trade talks this offseason, he had a big decision to make himself on his future, and has chosen to decline a max contract extension from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Austin Reaves has declined a max contract extension offer from the Los Angeles Lakers that would have paid him $89.2 million over four seasons, per @DanWoikeSports

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It would have been a four-year, $89.2 million extension, the most the Lakers were allowed to offer based on the CBA. But Reaves has his eye on a much bigger payday next summer: Either in free agency or on a much larger extension from LA. The Lakers can offer Reaves a 5-year, $246M max deal a year from now.

He has $14 million remaining on his contract for next season, then has a player option at $15 million for the following year, which he will undoubtedly decline in order to enter unrestricted free agency, if the Lakers aren't willing to offer him that massive extension at that time. Reaves is going into the third year of a four-year, $54 million deal.

This becomes an issue in any trade talks for another team to consider. If they are able to pry Reaves loose in a deal with the Lakers, will they only be getting him for one year? And on the other hand, asks Dan Woike in The Athletic, if a team is indeed interested in paying him a substantial amount once he reaches free agency, why not just wait till next summer instead of trading a valuable asset to the Lakers now to get him?

Reaves, 27, took another huge step this past season, becoming a full-time starter, and upping his points per game considerably as he has in each of his four years in the league. He finished the campaign at 20 ppg, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 37.7% from long distance.