Lakers need to pay Austin Reaves whatever he wants. Heres why

The biggest question of the Lakers’ offseason, at least from a pure monetary standpoint, is how much money are they willing to pay Austin Reaves?Not how the rest of the team’s internal organizational restructuring will pan out.Not even whether LeBron James will return for a 24th NBA season, and whether he’ll play for the Lakers for a ninth season — a decision that will have significant league-wide ramifications.Reports have stated that Reaves — an expected unrestricted free agent once he declines his $14.9 million player option — wants a maximum contract worth $239 million across five seasons ($47.8 million average annual salary) and is not willing to take a hometown discount.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Never miss a story If the Lakers aren’t willing to go that high, they must explain to Reaves the reasoning if it means building a title-winning roster around him and Luka Doncic.By comparison, the maximum contract another team could pay Reaves is $178 million over four seasons ($44.5 million average annual salary).The Lakers want Reaves back.As they should after he’s proved to be an All-Star — and borderline All-NBA — caliber player.And Reaves wants to return to the only NBA he’s known for the first five seasons of his NBA career.In this sense, the sides are on the same page.Where they may differ is the Lakers wanting to pay Reaves the least amount of money to bring him back to the franchise, looking to maximize their financial flexibility and optionality.

And Reaves’ representatives, understandably, will negotiate for the most amount of money Reaves, 28, can make as he enters the prime of his career with his best chance of what will likely be the largest contract of his career.If Reaves, or his representatives, not only want but demand...