Austin Reaves‘ return to the Los Angeles Lakers for Game 5 of their series against the Houston Rockets could be for selfish reasons. However, that may not be a bad thing.
Heading into the 2026 NBA Playoffs, it seemed like the Lakers were a lock to be ousted in the first round. They were without Luka Doncic and Reaves and facing a talented Rockets team. But due to the brilliance of future Hall of Famer LeBron James and stunning play from Luke Kennard, LA heads into a pivotal Game 5 tonight with a 3-1 series lead.
On Wednesday, they will have home crowd support, and Reaves could make his earlier-than-expected return from an oblique injury. With Kevin Durant expected to miss Game 5, a case could be made to be as cautious as possible with the talented swingman. Yet, he is a game-time decision.
There is no doubt that Austin Reaves is a gamer who is passionate about winning and has given the Lakers everything he’s got over the last five years. However, his return this week may be more motivated by getting a life-changing contract this summer.
Reaves has a player option left on the team-friendly four-year, $53 million contract he signed in 2023. If he opts in, he will make just under $15 million in 2026-27. After posting an All-Star-worthy season with 23.3 points, 4.7 boards, and 5.5 assists a night, he would be soundly underpaid. Honestly, he has outplayed his deal the last two seasons and deserves a big raise.
If he opts out of the final year, he can get that this summer in either a five-year, $241 million deal from the Lakers or four years and $176.5 million from a rival team. However, as New York Post basketball reporter Melissa Rohlin pointed out on Wednesday, to get that level of money, Reaves must show he can be just as good in the playoffs as he was in the regular season.
“During the 2024 playoffs, [Reaves] averaged a woeful 26.9% from beyond the arc as the Lakers fell to the Nuggets in the first round,” she noted. “And last postseason, Reaves notoriously struggled, averaging playoff career-lows in points (16.2) and field goal percentage (41.1%) while shooting 31.9% from beyond the arc, a marked dip from the 20.2 points on 46% shooting and 37.7% from deep that he averaged last season.”
Reaves was underpaid the last couple of seasons and has earned a serious pay bump. However, he has his doubters, and at 27 years old, he may not get another chance at a max deal. So, pushing to get back to the court and show he can be a difference maker in the postseason may be the real reason he wants to return tonight.
While it can be seen as selfish, it’s not a bad thing for the Lakers because he is motivated to show he deserves a well-deserved raise, and that could help LA surprisingly advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
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