Rejected 4 years and $89.2 million! Reeves contract renewal plan is exposed, Lakers inside signings to strengthen 2-choose 1

The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out by the Minnesota Timberwolves gentleman 1-4 in the first round, losing his wife and losing his troops. James suffered a knee injury for the first time in his career. He needed at least 3-5 weeks of recovery due to a second-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament on the left knee. Zhan said bluntly in his podcast program: I won’t lose insomnia due to a playoff defeat. The Timberwolves’ regular season record cannot reflect their true strength. They were the team of the Western Conference Finals last season. I think they at least have a chance to enter the Western Conference Finals again. The era of Huazi will eventually come. James said this may not necessarily make him angry and his prestige, but one thing is certain that the Lakers have a long way to go in the offseason, and signing and strengthening the lineup is their only way to maintain competitiveness in the Wild West.

James has a player option worth 52.6 million US dollars in one year. According to our understanding of James, he will first look at the general trend of the world as usual before deciding how to renew his contract with the Lakers and firmly control his destiny. Luca has two years and $95 million left in the contract, and the 26-27 season is a player option worth $49 million. According to the calculations of NBA salary experts, starting from August 3, Luca can sign a four-year, $229 million contract with the Lakers. At the same time, Luca can also choose to sign a three-year, $165 million short contract (the last year is the player option), and wait until he becomes a veteran who has been in the league for 10 years and then re-sign a five-year, $418 million super maximum salary contract in the 2028 offseason.

No matter what, I believe that the Lakers will unconditionally meet the contract renewal requirements of James and Luca. After all, the former is the NBA's long-term storefront, and the latter is the NBA's future storefront. The Lakers need these two cash cows. In addition, the contract renewal plan of Lakers' third giant Reeves has also been exposed. Reeves has two years and $28.8 million left in his contract, and he faces the issue of renewing his contract with the Lakers this offseason. According to NBA famous reporter Ricardo, the Lakers can provide Reeves with a contract renewal of up to 4 years, $89.2 million. Lakers general manager Pelinka said many times: Reeves is one of the pillars of the team and does not want to trade him. But NBA famous reporter Ricardo pointed out incisively: Reeves is expected to reject this four-year, $89.2 million contract renewal, aiming to try out the free agent market in the offseason in 2026. At that time, according to the NBA's labor-management agreement, Reeves can seek a large contract with an average salary of $42.5 million.

In my opinion, the Lakers are willing to renew their contract with Reeves for 89.2 million US dollars in four years. The key is that Reeves has a very cost-effective performance! This season, Reeves played 73 regular season games, averaging 20.3 points + 4.5 rebounds + 5.8 assists + 1.1 steals; in five playoffs, Reeves averaged 16.2 points + 5.4 rebounds + 3.6 assists. Even though Reeves' playoff output has declined compared to the regular season, considering Reeves' contract, the Lakers still need a third leader like Reeves to reduce the burden on James and Luca. Of course, if Reeves refuses to pay 89.2 million US dollars in four years, then the Lakers don’t need to keep Reeves because they cannot match Reeves with an average salary of US$42.5 million in the offseason in 2026. Instead of playing in a mess, it is better to use Reeves as a bargaining chip to strengthen the inside.

Lakers are signing to strengthen the inside line and potential targets are exposed. Choose 1 in 2! One is Nets center Clarkston. According to reports from NBA famous reporter Ricardo, the Lakers are expected to restart trading negotiations about Clarkston in the offseason. This season, Clarkston played 70 games for the Nets, averaging 10.3 points + 7.4 rebounds + 2.2 assists + 1.4 blocks per game, and his shooting percentage was 56.3%. Although Clarkston's athletic ability and finishing ability at the basket are not as good as Ma Wei, he is very healthy and experienced. He is indeed a rebounder and franchise expert who is hard to come by. The other is Mavericks center Gafford. This season, Gafford played 57 games, averaging 12.3 points + 6.8 rebounds + 1.4 assists + 1.8 steals, with a shooting percentage of up to 70.2%. According to the NBA famous reporter Tim, Gafford's contract has one year and $14.4 million left. The Mavericks are facing the issue of Refley's contract renewal, so it is difficult for Gafford to provide a new contract that matches its value. Gafford and Luca have had a wonderful cooperation experience and there will be no running-in problems.

Whether it is Clarkston or Gafford, they are all main centers with annual salary of over 10 million yuan, which meets the needs of the Lakers! But then again, no matter who the Lakers ultimately decide to introduce to assist James and Luca, if Reeves really does not agree to renew the contract in advance, the Lakers will use it as their primary bargaining chip. Fans, what do you think about this? Let me leave me a comment and discuss it.