"Let him walk or trade him" - Lakers fans dish their takes on Austin Reaves potentially turning down $89,200,000 contract

What should the LA Lakers do with Austin Reaves? Fans of the Purple and Gold voiced their opinions on X (formerly Twitter) as the guard becomes eligible for a four-year, $89.2 million extension this summer.

Reaves just wrapped up the second season of his four-year, $53.8 million contract with LA, which is fully guaranteed through next year, but includes a player option for the 2026-27 campaign. Declining the extension and chasing a bigger contract in free agency is also an option for him.

Reacting to a Sports Illustrated report on the guard's future, some Lakers fans feel the extension price tag is steep, and suggest the team might be better off moving on or exploring trade options.

“Let him walk or trade him,” one fan said.

“Sell high that is a elite contract to build a trade around,” another said.

“At that moment the lakers should facilitate a sign and trade,” another commented.

Others in the fanbase have different thoughts on Austin Reaves' future with the Lakers.

“I think AR takes a home discount if the numbers are right. 75M 2+1 years w PO,” one said.

“I don’t think Reaves is the money hungry type. I think he genuinely loves playing for the Lakers lol. If that was the case he would’ve been gone last summer cus the Spurs if I’m not mistaken offered him more,” another said.

“Yes, he's a talented player. Really good. But not a good fit next to Luka and Lakers risk losing him for nothing or massively overpaying for him,” another commented.

Lakers insider says Austin Reaves trade unlikely

Austin Reaves showed promise as a strong complementary piece alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic, but he underwhelmed in the postseason, shooting just 41.1% overall and 31.9% from 3 as the Lakers were ousted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round 1.

Still, Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who covers the Lakers beat, doesn’t believe a trade is imminent.

“I think the possibility of him being traded is actually low, at least this summer,” Buha said (per Lakers Nation). “One of the things that we reported there is that the Lakers do not want to trade Austin.

“That’s something I’ve continually heard for over three years now. That’s something I’ve reported multiple times over the last few years, that the Lakers have a high bar for trading Austin, value him, and view him highly.”

Since joining the Lakers, Austin Reaves has steadily increased his scoring, starting at 7.3 points per game as a rookie, then 13.0 ppg, 15.9 ppg and peaking at 20.2 ppg this season. His assist and rebound numbers have also climbed year by year.