Austin Reaves wasn’t many people’s pick to be the Lakers’ second scoring option when the 25/26 season began, but he’s held himself to a high level, even after LeBron James came back from injury. He continues to run the show alongside James, scoring at least 33 points in four of his last six games. With each passing day, it’s becoming more and more evident why he deserves that $50 million paycheck.
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It’s incredible how far Reaves has come. As an undrafted free agent entering the league, he signed with the Lakers because he saw them as the right fit for his game. He began as a streaky scorer who struggled on defense, but over time he developed into a reliable, impactful player.
Nobody saw Reaves developing into the player he is today. Not even Hall of Famer Reggie Miller. But like the legendary three-point shooter always says, some players are a product of their own environment.
“He took a gamble on himself, Dan,” Miller said of Reaves on The Dan Patrick Show. “And knock on wood, health provided, I think it’s going to pay off because the Lakers or someone is going to have to pay him.”
Reaves is currently in the second-to-last year of a four-year contract. The catch is that he has a player option after this season, so if he believes he can earn more on the open market, he’ll definitely exercise it. At that point, it becomes a question of what Reaves wants his role to be on a team
“He is a legitimate number one on a bad team if he goes somewhere else… Or if he stays with the Lakers, be an unbelievable Robin to Batman. Because he has certainly taken that role from LeBron, and I think they respect that,” Miller added.
It’s only been 7 games with LeBron back in the lineup, but it truly does feel like Reaves has replaced him as the team’s second scoring option. The King has reached 20 points just two times during that stretch. He even had his otherworldly 10-point scoring streak of 1297 consecutive games ended on a night where Reaves dropped 44.
With this in mind, one has to wonder how much money Reaves is in line for if he opts out.
“Is he going to get $50 million a year?” Patrick asked.
“I mean, that’s what it looks like,” Miller said as he shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t fault that. He’s put in the work… He’s one of the biggest voices on this Lakers team.”
The former Indiana Pacer then concluded that if the Lakers do not pony up the cash, someone else will. “Fifty million dollars is coming his way either from the Lakers or from someone else.”
It may be hard for some to believe, but with his scoring averages, Reaves can certainly make around $50 million a year on his next contract. That figure would place him among the top 15 highest-paid players in the league and even ahead of his teammate Luka Doncic. With that in mind, a range of $35–40 million might be a more realistic outcome.
Still, that is a massive number for a player who entered the league undrafted. It shows how far Reaves has come in his development. It also reinforces the idea that not every star needs to arrive as a lottery pick. Some, in fact, do not get drafted at all.
