Austin Reaves ahead of LeBron James?

The Los Angeles Lakers may have a difficult decision to make regarding their roster priorities, but according to Jovan Buha, Austin Reaves appears to be viewed as a higher long-term priority than LeBron James.

“If it comes down to whether you’d rather pay Austin $40 million per year for the next five years or LeBron $40 million for one year, they’re going to prioritize the long-term contract. Austin is more of a priority for the Lakers than LeBron. That’s just a fact.”

The Lakers will prioritize re-signing Austin Reaves over LeBron James, per @jovanbuha

“If it comes down to whether you’d rather pay Austin $40 million per year for the next five years or LeBron $40 million for one year, they’re going to prioritize the long-term contract. Austin… pic.twitter.com/6zy1Wp1jsG

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 31, 2026