Austin Reaves scores eight in preseason debut

James, who turns 42 in December, will play his 24th season in the NBA. However, it is not known which team he’ll suit up for. According to agent Rich Paul, the future Hall of Fame forward has informed the Lakers that he will not be re-signing with the team. Given the amount of money now tied up in Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, James’ decision is surprising but not a seismic shock. In recent days, the Warriors have been rumored as a potential destination, with Draymond Green opting out of the final year of his deal to free up additional money for the franchise to make moves. While Dončić was already one of the first players to be selected in fantasy drafts, James’ exit raises Reaves’ ceiling in 2026-27.

With Reaves back in the fold, the Lakers have he and Luka Dončić locked in as franchise cornerstones for the foreseeable future. The Lakers will have a busy offseason as they navigate LeBron James’ potential return and decide what moves to make to get the team in a more competitive position.

The Lakers have long viewed re-signing Reaves as a priority this offseason, and the expectation was that the cost of doing business would be high. According to The Athletic, the Nets are willing to offer the shooting guard the highest deal they can, which comes to about $178.5 million over four years. Unlike other teams, the Lakers can offer Reaves a fifth year, but the question is how much they’re willing to pay. And with other questions lingering, such as LeBron James’ future and how they’ll fill out the rest of the roster around Luka Dončić, the Lakers could find themselves in a challenging spot regarding Reaves’ deal. As for the Nets, adding Reaves would give them an undisputed building block on the perimeter. And with none of the guards selected in the first round of last summer’s draft (Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf) truly standing out, this is an area of need for the rebuilding franchise.

Reaves found his rhythm again on Monday after an unspectacular Game 3. He shot efficiently both inside and outside the arc and repeatedly made his way to the free-throw line before finishing with a team-high in points. The fifth-year guard did struggle with turnovers against a tough Thunder defense. Still, his scoring and facilitating across his 43 minutes were important for the Lakers. Reaves missed a lot of time with injuries throughout the regular season, which hurt his fantasy value. When healthy, he was as productive as last season. He’ll likely be one of the better guards in fantasy leagues next season if injuries aren’t as big an issue.

Reaves got off to an excellent start regarding his playmaking, as he recorded eight first-half assists. Unfortunately for him and the Lakers, the well dried up in the second half. Oklahoma City ramped things up defensively, and the Lakers turned the ball over at a higher rate than they did in the first half. As for Reaves, he accounted for just five points and one assist after halftime. Simply put, that won’t get the job done, especially with Luka Dončić (hamstring) unavailable. The Lakers will need a win on Monday to avoid getting swept.

Reaves responded in a big way on Thursday to his eight-point Game 1 performance by finishing as the only Lakers player to reach the 30-point mark. He had success from deep, was efficient as a two-point scorer, and also got to the free-throw line to add to his scoring total. Turnovers were also an issue for Reaves in Game 2, as was the case in the series opener, but his contributions as a scorer and passer outweighed the negatives. A repeat performance in Game 3 would greatly benefit a Lakers team that’ll be trying to avoid going down by three games.

Reaves really had a tough time generating points on Tuesday. Without a three-point make and through poor shooting inside the arc, he logged his first single-digit scoring performance of the season. The fifth-year pro also struggled with turnovers, but his six assists helped to somewhat overshadow the giveaways. Especially with Luka Dončić still sidelined, the Lakers will need Reaves to play at a much higher level in Game 2 and moving forward against the NBA’s defending champions.

After coming off the bench in his first game back from a strained oblique, Reaves has returned to the Lakers’ starting lineup. He replaces Luke Kennard, who missed all four of his shot attempts in Game 5 and scored just one point. The Lakers are looking to avoid having to play a Game 7 on Sunday after winning the first three games of this series.

With Wednesday’s game being the first for Reaves since April 2, he was used in a reserve role. There were no restrictions for the Lakers’ guard, who logged 34 minutes. Reaves did not shoot the ball well from the field, but a 12-of-13 night at the foul line boosted the point total. Reaves may return to the starting lineup for Game 6 on Friday, especially when considering how poorly Luke Kennard played. Missing all four of his field-goal attempts, Kennard finished Game 5 with one point, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot. Whether he continues to start or gets bumped to the bench by Reaves, the Lakers need more from Kennard.

After more than three weeks on the sidelines with a strained oblique muscle, Reaves is good to go for Game 5. His return will not push Luke Kennard to the bench, as the Lakers are sticking with the lineup that started the first four games of this series. Kennard is joined in the lineup by Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Deandre Ayton.