The most exciting period of the NBA offseason, when there are no live games and no playoff action, has officially begun: free agency. And with it, the league has already started shifting, while speculation about another LeBron James superteam continues to grow.
But even before the 2026 edition of free agency officially opened, the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the biggest moves of the summer by signing Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million max extension.
It is an interesting storyline when looking back at where it all started. Reaves entered the NBA as an undrafted player, a complete afterthought, but fought his way through the ranks to become one of the most important pieces of one of the most storied franchises in basketball history.
However, as happy as Draymond Green was to see one of his peers secure a massive payday, the four-time NBA champion believes the Lakers may have gone a little too far with the numbers on the check.
"He was apparently heavily courted by the Pistons, which ultimately helped the Lakers raise their offer. I was a bit surprised by the Lakers going so high. We spoke about, everybody's been speaking about how much money Austin Reaves was going to get, I just didn't expect the Lakers to go so high," the Golden State Warriors enforcer pointed out in the recent episode of "The Draymond Green Show."
"I thought the Lakers would stand pat a little bit longer. Maybe try to see if they can negotiate that number down quite a bit," Dray added.
During the 2025-26 season, Reaves stepped up in a major way whenever LeBron and Luka Doncic were unavailable, often taking on the responsibility of carrying the Lakers himself. His regular-season production showed he was more than ready to take another leap, averaging 23.3 points and 5.5 assists while shooting an efficient 49% from the field.
At one point, his performances generated plenty of buzz about him potentially earning his first All-Star selection. Ultimately, as we all know, that never happened. Then, just before the playoffs, when the Lakers needed every hand on deck to try to battle their way out of the highly competitive Western Conference, Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season, including the start of the postseason.
When he finally returned, it was clear he wasn't quite the same player. His production understandably took a hit. Sure, he still averaged close to 20 points and six assists, but the efficiency and overall impact simply weren't there.
Now, with a brand-new max contract, Green believes those kinds of stretches will no longer be viewed the same way. Every poor performance will be analyzed under a much bigger microscope, and the criticism will only grow louder.
"When you're making $23M, you will not catch the same flak as when you're making $46M. So I will warn Austin Reaves: prepare for what's to come with that," Green argued. "You have to play great now, like, at all times. You have to have a great playoff series. You're not allowed to struggle, or people will crush you. ..."
" The value of a player is viewed differently when they're making $23 million a year as opposed to when they're making $45 million."
No matter how the playoffs ended, the Lakers clearly believe they have found one of their cornerstones in Reaves. After all, the "Hillbilly Kobe " has only recently turned 28 years old and, barring any injuries, should still have the best basketball of his career ahead of him. As a late bloomer, Reaves is only now beginning to show the league everything he is capable of.
But while the Lakers now have both Reaves and Doncic locked in for the future, it appears LeBron already has his sights set elsewhere after revealing that he intends to continue his career with another franchise.
That will naturally create even more room for the Reaves-Doncic partnership to really flourish and show the world they can carry the massive burden of playing in that Purple and Gold uniform. But in the City of Angels, with a fanbase as passionate and demanding as the Lakers', expectations will be higher than ever. And now, with more money "on the line," it is on AR to prove he was worth the investment.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jul 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
