With 8.3 seconds left and the Lakers down 113-110 in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series against the Thunder, Austin Reaves sprinted to the top of the 3-point line, caught an inbounds pass and fired a 27-foot jumper. 

The ball circled the rim before bouncing out, ending the Lakers’ season. 

That missed shot launched the team into a world of uncertainty. Will LeBron James return for his 24th season? Will James and Reaves, who are about to become unrestricted free agents, be in Lakers uniforms next year? 

But none of that mattered in that moment. There was something James wanted to tell Reaves. 

“Helluva shot,” James said. “Keep your head up.”

Ever since Reaves joined the Lakers as an undrafted player on a two-way contract, he earned James’ respect. He won him over with his high-basketball IQ, his willingness to accept criticism and his work ethic. 

Now, five years later, Reaves is on the verge of earning a big contract. 

Reaves is all but assured to opt out of his $14.9 million player option for next season. He’s eligible for a five-year, $241 max contract extension with the Lakers or a four-year, $178.5 million deal with a different team.

The Lakers want to keep Reaves. And Reaves wants to remain in Los Angeles. He could command something in the ballpark of $40 million a year, which is a dizzying amount of money for a player who went undrafted in 2021. 

Reaves deserves it. 

He’s a rising star. Lakers fans love him. Luka Doncic wants him to remain his teammate. 

This season, Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game on 49% shooting from the field and 36% shooting from beyond the arc. He became the Lakers’ second option on offense over James, who’s arguably the greatest player of all time. He proved he’s reliable, consistent and able to meet big moments. 

There was the time he had back-to-back 51- and 41-point performances at the top of the season while James was sidelined with sciatica. Or the time he purposely missed a free throw, caught his own rebound and made a jumper to force overtime against the Nuggets in March, helping spur a 16-2 run for his team. 

His biggest question mark this season was whether he could be counted on during the playoffs. After two straight lackluster postseason performances, all eyes were on him over the last few weeks. 

Reaves, who suffered a strained oblique April 2, was intent on returning to the court as soon as he could. He’d often leave his house at 7:30 a.m. and not get home until 7:30 p.m. He spent hours a day doing rehabilitation exercises and sitting in a hyperbaric chamber. 

He made his postseason debut in Game 5 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Rockets. He shook off rust but still impacted winning. 

But in Game 1 against the Thunder, Reaves was thrust into the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. 

With Doncic sidelined because of a strained hamstring, Reaves needed to shine. Instead, he had eight points. He was 3-for-16 from the field. He missed all five of his 3-pointers. 

The criticism started piling on. 

Maybe he wasn’t worth all of that money, after all. Maybe he couldn’t rise to the occasion when the stage became big. 

But Reaves responded in Game 2 against the Thunder with a playoff career-high 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, immediately quieting that narrative. In Game 4, he had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists. 

“Just seeing AR grow over this five years has been nothing short of amazing,” James said after the Lakers were swept out of the playoffs. “He’s a hard worker. He loves the game. He wants to get better, and he’s not afraid of constructive criticism. And I kinda knew that from the beginning.”

Over the last few years, Reaves went from being a gamble to one of the franchise’s linchpins.

He’s a country bumpkin who has swag. He’s humble yet deliriously confident. He’s understated yet has made it clear that he wants to be a longtime fixture for the flashiest franchise in the league. 

When asked about his future after Game 4, Reaves played coy. “I don’t think about much,” he said. But when asked what playing alongside James for another season would mean to him, he didn’t hold back. “Man, it would mean the world to me,” he added. 

Rob Pelinka, Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager, believes a deal will be worked out between the two parties. “He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way. We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the Purple and Gold.”

The Lakers’ focus moving forward is building a contender around Doncic.

Reaves made Doncic feel at home after he was traded to the Lakers in February 2025. They’ve developed a brotherly bond off the court and a palpable chemistry on it. They seamlessly oscillate between teasing each other and opening up the court for one another. 

This much is sure: Reaves is a homegrown sensation who has impressively clawed his way from the cellar of the organization to its top. 

James found one of his most reliable teammates in him.

Doncic found a sidekick in him. 

Fans have serenaded him with MVP chants. 

Reaves has earned a seat at the head of the Lakers’ table. 

He deserves every penny of that big contract that’s coming his way.