NBA insider Jovan Buha recently claimed that the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to prioritize Austin Reaves over LeBron James when the two stars negotiate new contracts in free agency.
During his latest podcast episode, Buha said that the Lakers view James as a short-term solution, citing his advancing age. On the other hand, Reaves is seen as a long-term cornerstone, as he fits better with Luka Doncic’s timeline.
“So, if it comes down to would you rather pay Austin $40 million for the next five years or LeBron $40 million for one year, they’re going to prioritize the long-term contract here. So, that’s like Austin is more of a priority for the Lakers than LeBron is. That’s just a fact. So, that’s one part of it,” Buha explained.
“The second part of it is that Austin is going to have a market, and LeBron, maybe he wants to go to Chicago or Brooklyn. I do not foresee that. But the issue with LeBron is that all of the teams that are going to want LeBron are going to have somewhere between a vet minimum offer and a non-taxpayer MLE offer. So LeBron can’t leverage the market against the Lakers the same way Austin can.”
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LeBron James has apparently made it clear that he won’t accept the veteran minimum since he can still play at a high level, having averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on 51.5% shooting from the field in 60 regular-season appearances in 2025-26. However, he largely served as the Lakers’ third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
If the Lakers are asking James to take a pay cut, his camp wants clear answers on how doing so would actually improve the team, since the 41-year-old forward is still pursuing his fifth NBA championship.
General manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick recently said they’re keen on keeping James on the roster for at least one more season, and it’ll be interesting to see how the front office plans to convince him the sacrifice will be worth it.