The Lakers’ long game is starting to come into focus, and Austin Reaves may be part of the price of chasing a bigger prize.
Los Angeles already made a major commitment this offseason by keeping Reaves in the fold. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that “Reaves, who originally agreed to a four-year, $185 million extension with a player option on the final season, ended up inking a four-year, $180 million deal, league sources confirmed to ESPN. Reaves' decision, sources told ESPN, will give the Lakers more financial flexibility moving forward ,” and that flexibility could matter even more if the front office decides to swing for the fences next summer.
That next move, at least in one prediction, would be a stunner. Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts believes the Lakers would be ready to move on from Reaves to pursue Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
“Jokic can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his player option. The three-time MVP is refusing to sign an extension.
He says he wants to be a Nugget for life, but the franchise has to be worried. They’ve won just two playoff series in the last three years.
Jokic wants to win and is good friends with Luka Doncic. The Lakers would dump Austin Reaves in an instant to sign the Joker,” Watts wrote.
It’s the kind of idea that instantly changes the temperature around a franchise. Reaves and Luka Dončić have already developed into a strong backcourt pairing, but the Lakers are clearly thinking bigger than a solid duo.
Dončić’s timeline gives them room to build, yet the message from the star himself has been anything but patient. CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish wrote that “Dončić being just 26 gives the Lakers a far longer timeline to build a championship-contending team, but that doesn't mean they can slow down and take their time.
Dončić told Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick in May that he's not interested in taking the slow approach in building a contender,”
If Los Angeles ever found a way to pry Jokic from Denver, the fit would be as terrifying as it sounds. Reaves would be out, but the Lakers would suddenly have Dončić and Jokic sharing the floor - two elite creators, two players who can see everything before it happens, and two engines capable of running an offense at a ridiculous level.
Jokic has made $304 million throughout his career, and pairing him with Dončić would give JJ Redick a dream setup to build around. That’s the vision here: not just a competitive roster, but a potential superteam with the kind of passing and shot-making that can warp the entire game.
In Other News...
Lakers Still Have One Big Center Problem After Walker Kessler Trade
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Even with those changes, the depth chart still has a familiar soft spot. Los Angeles has not added another true backup center, and the lack of attractive trade pieces makes upgrading that spot harder than it sounds. Looney is the name most likely to fill the role for now, but the Lakers are still carrying a real question behind Kessler, and it is the kind of roster issue that can linger long after the headline move fades. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Ownership Change Could Upend The Plan Around Luka Doncic
The Lakers are heading into a period of uncertainty after a major ownership shift, with the franchise set to move from Mark Walter to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. Walters run brought sweeping front office and roster changes, along with a strategy that borrowed heavily from the Dodgers model of organization and player building, so this is not a minor handoff of the keys but a potential reset of how the team does business.
What comes next matters because the Lakers have already been operating with a clear identity under Walter, and there is no guarantee the new group will want to keep that same blueprint intact. For a team trying to plan around Luka Doncic, the bigger question is whether any change in direction will be smooth enough to keep the long-term picture stable, or sharp enough to force new uncertainty around his future decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Roster Crunch Could Force A Tough Move For Frontcourt Help
The Lakers are running into the kind of roster squeeze that can turn even routine frontcourt shopping into a complicated balancing act. With one player over the limit, the front office has to clear space before making any meaningful move, and that means decisions around names like Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy or Bronny James could come into play as the team tries to sort out its depth chart.
What makes it more interesting is the fit the Lakers are chasing. Backup center remains a clear need, and the team has already looked at a few different options as it tries to bolster the middle without losing flexibility elsewhere. One scenario on the table would fold that search into a larger three-team arrangement, giving Los Angeles a path to address both the roster crunch and its frontcourt depth in one shot, but the details still have to line up before anything becomes official. [Read more 🡒]