Is Lakers’ Austin Reaves a max contract player? Nick Young says no

The Los Angeles Lakers have some big decisions ahead of them this offseason, most notably involving what the future holds for LeBron James. The Lakers will also see Austin Reaves hit free agency after another strong regular season in 2025-26, followed by a subpar postseason performance.

Recently, former Lakers guard Nick Young dropped a hot take when discussing what he thinks the market should look like for Reaves.

“I can’t give him the full $250 (million),” said Young, per Gil’s Arena on X, formerly Twitter. “At the end of the day, you really don’t know if he’s a number two. A number two is a guy that’s supposed to take you over the hump and get you a deep run into the Finals. I like Austin Reaves, I like the confidence… if you want to stay a Laker, I don’t think you give him 250.”

Young isn’t the only one who has questioned whether a team paying both Reaves and Luka Doncic massive salaries could be a contender, considering the fact that both have clear weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. Pair that with a potential huge contract of James, who is also a negative on that end of the floor at this stage of his career, and Los Angeles could have a team-building nightmare on their hands if they aren’t careful.

Reaves is expected to field big offers from opposing teams around the league in free agency, and it remains to be seen what price point Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office would be willing to match.

In any case, NBA free agency is slated to open for business on June 30.

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