Austin Reaves‘ status for the NBA playoffs is in doubt, but the guard’s future with the Los Angeles Lakers also remains uncertain. Reaves has a player option this offseason which would allow the guard to be a free agent.
The star signed a four-year, $53.8 million contract with the Lakers but can opt out of the final season of the deal. On the eve of the start of the Lakers’ playoff series against the Houston Rockets, The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Dan Wolke reported that Reaves plan to become a free agent in the coming months.
The insiders also reported that the Lakers will be competing against multiple teams expected to make lucrative contract offers to Reaves.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest Lakers rumors and Reaves’ future in Los Angeles.
Lakers Rumors: Multiple NBA Teams Expected to Make Lucrative Offers to Austin Reaves in Free Agency
Not only will the Lakers be fighting to re-sign Reaves, but LeBron James is also slated to be a free agent. The Lakers are in danger of losing multiple stars in NBA free agency.
“Reaves, who according to league sources intends to decline the final year of his contract with the Lakers and become an unrestricted free agent, is expected to have top-of-market interest from multiple teams, both those with cap space and those that would need to create it to sign him,” Amick and Wolke wrote in an April 17, 2026, story titled, “LeBron James’ future: Retire, stay with Lakers or join Warriors/Cavs? What we know.”
“Reaves said that he hopes to remain with the Lakers and has strong advocates in Dončić and James. Dončić, according to a league source, has enjoyed his time with James as a teammate,” Amick and Wolke added.
“But the summer of 2026 has long been positioned as a moment of change for the organization, with the team having access to both salary cap space and three first-round picks to use in trades.”
Austin Reaves’ Injury: The Lakers Are Preparing To Be Without the Guard for Entire Rockets Playoff Series
The Lakers’ immediate attention is on Reaves’ status for the NBA playoffs. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers are preparing to be without both Reaves and Luka Doncic for the entire first-round series against the Rockets.
“And as they prepare for it (Rockets series), sources told ESPN they have no expectation of having either Doncic or Reaves back at any point in the first round,” McMenamin detailed in an April 16, article titled, “Luka, Reaves and the 48 hours that changed the Lakers’ season.”
“But they also have not completely ruled out the possibility of one or both of them becoming available the longer the series lasts.”
The Rockets are heavy favorites to win the series at -575, per DraftKings. Los Angeles has long odds to advance to the second round at +400.
The Lakers Still Have a Clear Path to Re-Sign Austin Reaves
The Lakers still have the cleanest path to pay Reaves the most money. It is why Spotrac’s Keith Smith predicted in October that the two sides will reach a new deal this summer.
“The Los Angeles Lakers and Austin Reaves are going to sign a new contract, barring something really unexpected,” Smith noted in an October 16, 2025, article titled, “Next Contract Series: Austin Reaves.” “It’s just not going to happen until the summer of 2026. And that’s fine, because by then the Lakers should have more clarity on what’s happening with LeBron James and their potential cap space plans.
“… There will be some negotiating, of course, but it would be a surprise to see Reaves playing anywhere but Los Angeles after this season.”
Concerning Austin Reaves News Emerges Less Than 48 Hours Before Rockets-Lakers