The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a key choice

The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a key choice - whether to lock in Austin Reeves with a five-year, $150 million maximum salary contract, making him the most expensive undraft in NBA history.

According to ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin and Bobby Marks, league executives generally believe that the Lakers will provide Reeves with an average salary of more than $30 million next summer to ensure that he and Doncic have a long-term partner in the backcourt.

Reeves' current contract is $54 million for 4 years and has player options in the 2026-27 season. This summer, he rejected the Lakers' four-year, $89.2 million early renewal offer, because if the contract is broken by 2026, he can sign a maximum salary of $246.7 million for five years.

The Lakers management is obviously willing to match his asking price, but the question is - is Reeves really worth the price?

2024-25 season, Reeves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the regular season, with a three-point shooting percentage of 37.7% and 87.7% free throws, and the data is quite comprehensive.

However, his performance shrank significantly in the playoffs, with his three-point shooting percentage falling to 31.9%, and his defensive end was targeted by his opponents. McDaniels' shooting percentage was as high as 72.2Y under his defense. Such performance made some fans question: "The regular season is worth 35 million, and the playoffs are worth only 15 million!"

More importantly, the effectiveness of Reeves and Doncic's partnership is questionable. Both of them are players with strong offense and weak defense, and the defensive efficiency of the backcourt combination is worrying. Suns reporter John Gambadoro once revealed that "Reeves doesn't like playing with Doncic." Although the agent quickly denied the rumors, the data will not lie - when Reeves was on the defense, the opponent's shooting percentage rose from 46% to 49.3%.

Despite this, the Lakers still regard Reeves as their core asset. When he was still out of the draft in 2021, the Lakers signed him with keen eyes. Now this four-year, 54 million contract has become a "bad price". If you trade him, it will be difficult to exchange for players of the same level.

What's more, Reeves has repeatedly publicly expressed his willingness to play for the Lakers for life, and even called Kobe a "GOAT", which is deeply loved by fans.

The free market big names will gather next summer. If the Lakers hesitate, Reeves may be snatched away by other teams at high prices. But if 150 million is really given in five years, the Lakers' defensive loopholes in the backcourt will exist for a long time.

Reeves' contract renewal direction not only concerns his personal career, but also will profoundly affect the Lakers' future lineup layout and prospects for the championship.

5 years of $150 million, is Reeves worth a high-value contract? I'm afraid that this question can only be answered in the new season before you can get the real answer on the field. The Lakers and Reeves will also write the final chapter of this contract renewal story in the next few months.