Lakers re-sign Austin Reaves

(News4usonline) – Believe it or not,  despite the fact that LeBron James has decided to play somewhere else outside of suiting up for the purple and gold, the Los Angeles Lakers are still going to field a team for the upcoming NBA season. 

That may or may not be the news that Laker fans will want to hear, but it is now. It is the future. James’ tenure in Los Angeles has finally run its course after eight seasons. 

The Lakers are fast to embrace the new face of the franchise in guard/forward Luka Doncic, who averaged just over 33 points a game last season. Now, instead of having James running by his side, Doncic will have guard Austin Reaves as his new sidekick. 

The Lakers made an official announcement that the ballclub has re-signed the former undrafted free agent. In his five seasons with the Lakers, the progression of Reaves has steadily grown. 

In his first season with the Lakers, Reaves put up a mighty number of seven points per game. The 2025-26 NBA season proved to be light years of how far Reaves have come from since his rookie season. 

Reaves averaged 23.3 points a game in 51 games with the Lakers last season. 

“Austin’s relentless pursuit of improvement, fierce competitiveness and commitment to winning have made him an integral part of our organization,” said Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka. 

Not since the Hall of Fame center Moses Malone has an undrafted player scored as many points per game as Reaves did during the 2025-26. Malone averaged 23.6 points a game, while Reaves was a smidget just behind him with an average 23.3 points a game. 

As an undrafted player, Reaves has had to prove a lot of people wrong. He’s done that by getting in the grind and working. 

“From the moment he joined the Lakers, Austin has embodied the work ethic and selfless approach that define our culture. We’re thrilled to continue building with him as a cornerstone of our team as we pursue our championship goals.”  

Just how good Reaves is will be fully viewed next season when he won’t have the luxury of playing on the same team as LeBron James. Reaves has had the benefit of playing with James for all of the five seasons that he has been in the league. 

While he and Doncic averaged just over 56 points a game together, Reaves will have to go out and prove himself again. 

Cover Art: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the basket against the New York Knicks during an NBA game played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on March 6, 2025. Reaves and the Lakers defeated the Knicks 113-109 in overtime. Photo credit: Mark Hammond courtesy of The Bulletin