Monday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder could be the last game for this Lakers unit as presently constituted. Los Angeles trails the series 3-0, and a number of its key players can or will become free agents this summer.
Potential changes begin with two of its most important players: LeBron James and Austin Reaves. James will become a free agent at the conclusion of the NBA league year, and Reaves can opt out of his contract and also become a free agent. The expectation has been that Reaves will re-up with the Lakers, but amidst his struggles in this year’s playoffs, fans are increasingly clamoring for him to be traded instead.
Dave McMenamin, who covers the Lakers for ESPN, talked about what could be in store for both stars this summer during Monday’s episode of “NBA Today.”
“The context of him as a player is when he has LeBron James and Luka Doncic on the court,” McMenamin said. “When you think about him, it’s not necessarily just as a No. 2 option.”
Doncic, of course, has been out since April 2 with a hamstring strain. His absence has placed a lot more pressure on his teammates, since he isn’t there to not only score points and hit the open man, but also to draw double teams and traps in order to open up opportunities for others.
McMenamin laid out a potential scenario where Reaves could take a little bit less money on a new contract, which could lead to James taking a pay cut and other players being added to make the Lakers a championship-caliber team.
“I do think they have some kind of intrinsic buy-in from Austin to begin with, which could give a bit of a discount,” McMenamin said. “Then maybe you also get LeBron to give some sort of a discount if you know that he’s coming back, and then there is a further plan to fill out this roster.”
By now, Reaves has shown a clear trend of underperforming in the playoffs year after year. He averaged 23.3 points a game on 49% field-goal shooting and 36% from 3-point range during the regular season, but he’s at 18.6 points on 38.7% overall shooting and 21.4% from downtown in this year’s postseason.
There is a chance a team such as the Chicago Bulls or the Brooklyn Nets offers Reaves somewhere north of $40 million a year this summer. In that case, he would have to weigh whether he’d rather play a bigger role and make more money on a mediocre team, or make a more modest salary on a Lakers squad that should be at least playoff-caliber.
L.A. is projected to have at least roughly $50 million in salary cap space this offseason.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Dave McMenamin: Lakers may have ‘intrinsic buy-in’ from Austin Reaves
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
