Former NBA Champion Makes Bold Case for Austin Reaves' Lakers Max Contract

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a big offseason with one question sitting above everything else, and it has nothing to do with trades or draft picks. Austin Reaves is the priority. The 28-year-old had a breakout season, averaging career highs of 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds, before a Grade 2 oblique injury cut his year short and kept him out of the first four games of the playoffs.

He's widely expected to decline his player option and chase a max deal. Now, a former NBA champion has come out swinging in his support.

On ESPN LA's Lakers Talk YouTube channel, Danny Green joined as a guest and made his stance clear. Reaves deserves every penny of a max contract and should stay in Los Angeles next to Luka Doncic.

Green said on the show: "I am a big Austin Reaves guy. I think he's very special and in today's market, he's definitely worthy of a max, right? So I know it's tough when you're trying to build a championship team."

The Brunson Comparison and the California Problem

To make his point, Green pointed to Jalen Brunson as someone the league should look up to. The Knicks star walked away from over $113 million in 2024 by signing a four-year, $156 million extension instead of waiting for a five-year, $269 million max deal.

That sacrifice gave New York the cap room to build around him, and it is now paying off with the Knicks up 3-1 in the NBA Finals. Green praised that mindset, but was honest that pulling off something similar in Los Angeles is a much harder ask.

"I think a lot of guys can learn from Jalen Brunson. And I don't expect anybody to take a haircut, but maybe in another place he could. I know the taxes in California are a little steep, so it's hard to take a cut in California," Green said.

It is a fair point. California's tax rate is among the highest in the country, and that makes asking a player to leave money on the table a genuinely tough sell, more so than almost anywhere else in the league.

The Lakers can offer Reaves a five-year deal worth around $241 million, something no outside team can match. Teams like the Bulls and Nets can go up to four years and $178 million. Per reports, Reaves wants the max, and his representatives are not expected to push for anything less.

Green wrapped up by saying what most Lakers fans are thinking.

"I would love for him to stay with the Lakers and be with Luka Doncic. It'd be fun to keep watching them grow together,"

Reaves has until June 29 to decide on his player option. He has made it clear he wants to stay in purple and gold, and the Lakers want him back. Now it comes down to whether both sides can agree on a number before another team enters the picture.

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