Austin Reaves’ $239 million demand from Lakers is NBA free agency’s biggest question

Who’s the best NBA free agent in the summer of the 2026? There’s not a lot of great options. LeBron James remains the biggest name, but he’s set to turn 42 years old midway through the season. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu are both solid players, but they were most recently in a sixth man role. Norman Powell can get buckets, but his defense is a bit of an eyesore, and he’s older than you might think at 33. There’s a nice list of restricted free agents — Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson, Walker Kessler, Tari Eason — but it’s going to be hard to pry them away from their teams.

For my money, the best available NBA free agent this year is Austin Reaves. Reaves will turn down his  $14.9 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent in early July, and he could cash in in a huge way thanks to a depleted marketplace.

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Reaves’ max contract would be five years, $239 million if he re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers. If he signs with another team, the most he could get is four years, $178 million. Given the leverage he has right now, it’s no surprise that Reaves and his representation are pushing the Lakers for the full max. Los Angeles Times reporter Brad Turner went on local TV on Thursday night and said “based on what I understand and what I keep hearing, Austin wants the max.” Turner added that he’s not sure Reaves will give the Lakers a hometown discount. Watch the video here:

Reaves signed what was a considered a very team-friendly team last time he was a free agent — and he easily out-played it. In the summer of 2023, the guard agreed to a four-year, $54 million that had a player option in the final season. Negotiating that option was a brilliant move by Reaves’ agents, and now he gets to hit he open market again at 28 years old.

The Lakers are entering a pivotal summer. This is their big chance to build around Luka Doncic, and they need to get it right. Los Angeles has Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, and Maxi Kleber all coming off the books. Do any of these players fit the Lakers’ long-term vision around Luka? If so, they will work to re-sign them, but…

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Publish date : 2026-06-05 15:53:00

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