The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024–25 season ended not with a bang, but with a thud—five games and out, drubbed by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. For a team that had retooled its roster around Luka Dončić and still carried LeBron James’ championship aspirations, the early exit was a sobering failure.
Among the most disappointing performances in the series came from guard Austin Reaves. The fourth-year standout averaged a career-best 20.2 points during the regular season and became a nightly staple of the Lakers’ offensive engine. But when it mattered most, he vanished. Reaves averaged 16.2 points in the series on 41.1% shooting, just 31.9% from three. In five fourth quarters, he averaged just three points, including one in Game 3 and three in the decisive Game 5.
Reaves didn’t hide from the moment.
“Obviously I didn’t have the series that I wanted to have,” Reaves admitted during his exit interview. “You could point the finger at me. I really don’t care. I wasn’t good enough to help us be successful and I wish I could have done more, but I didn’t. I struggled. You live and you learn.”
That sort of self-awareness is one reason why fans and teammates alike love Reaves. But his playoff performance—and his contract situation—are now raising serious questions about his future in L.A.
The Lakers can offer Reaves a four-year, $83 million extension in August. But under current NBA rules, that’s well below his market value. If he declines, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency in 2026, eligible for a five-year, $246 million max contract.
One Western Conference executive was blunt:
“They know they’re not getting anything done with Austin Reaves,” the exec said. “He did not have to take a low-ball offer this time. He can be more selective now.”
And yet, despite the league’s new salary cap apron restrictions tightening the market, the executive offered a warning:
“There’s not going to be a ton of free-agent money on the market then. But I would warn them not to mess around with it. There could be teams—Brooklyn, Washington, even the Clippers—that… there could be free-agent space there.”
In the short term, Reaves remains a valuable asset on a team-friendly $14 million-per-year deal. But his limitations were exposed in the playoffs—outmatched physically, unable to defend bigger, stronger backcourts, and redundant alongside Dončić, whose ball-dominant style mirrors Reaves’ strengths.
Is Austin Reaves’ Time With The Los Angeles Lakers Over?
As Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote:
“If Austin Reaves is the Lakers’ third-best player, they’re going to have a difficult time winning a championship. If he’s in their Big Three, they don’t have a Big Three.”
That’s the gut punch. After a regular season where Reaves made a team-high 73 starts, averaged 20 points, six assists, and five rebounds—a stat line matched by just 11 other players in the NBA, only three of whom were younger—he went from indispensable to expendable in less than two weeks.
Plaschke didn’t pull punches:
“If the Lakers truly value the acquisition of a big man, they’re going to have to get rid of the little fella. Damn, I hate writing these next three words. Trade Austin Reaves.”
The Lakers’ front office, including GM Rob Pelinka, seems aware that changes are needed—especially in the frontcourt, where Rudy Gobert dominated L.A. with minimal resistance.
“It would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively,” Pelinka told reporters. “But there’s multiple different types of centers… we know we need a big man.”
Translation: no one is off-limits. And if the Lakers want a transformative presence—say, a Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid—Reaves likely has to be part of the package.
To be clear, no trade is imminent. Dončić and James are said to value Reaves. The front office isn’t actively shopping him. But as Plaschke aptly put it, “To get something special, you’re going to have to give up something special.”
Reaves himself seemed to sense that the road ahead is uncertain.
“Quite frankly, nobody thought I was ever gonna be in this position,” he said. “I’ve continued to prove myself over and over again… I just needed to be better and I wasn’t.”
He’s still young, still rising, still beloved. But for a Lakers team desperate to get bigger, tougher, and more championship-ready, sentiment may have to take a backseat to reality.
And the reality is, it might be time.