US reporter: Reeves is expected to jump out of the contract and test the waters of the free market and seek an annual salary of 30 million yuan

May 29th According to well-known sports reporter Eric Pincus, Lakers guard Austin Reeves is expected to reject player options and test the free market player market next year. The latest report shows that he hopes the starting salary of his next contract can reach twice the current salary. Earlier, Eric Pincus wrote in his latest report: "Reeves would almost certainly turn down his $14.9 million player option in the 2026-27 season, planning to become a full free agent next summer and seek a new contract with a starting salary of around $30 million. He can now renew his contract to $19.5 million at most, which is much lower than his expected price." In addition, Eric Pincus pointed out that if a star insider appears in the market, it is not ruled out that the Lakers will try to build a trading plan around their starting guard Reeves.

Reeves' performance has been improving every season during his four-year NBA career. In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 46.0%, a three-point shooting percentage of 37.7%, and a free throw shooting percentage of 87.7%. Scoring, rebounds, assists and steals per game have all hit career highs, while blocks per game have tied personal records.

However, Reeves' performance in the playoffs this season has declined, averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, shooting 41.1% from the field, 31.9% from three-pointers and 85.7% from free throws.

At present, the Lakers still hope to keep Reeves, but the situation may change at any time this summer. With limited cap space, they have little room to sign players in the free market that can fill the roster gap, so the deal becomes the only way they can make substantial adjustments.