The Lakers don't need Reaves anymore? The annual salary of the next contract may exceed 30 million The broker responds to trading rumors

On May 26, Beijing time, since the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, the team's guard Reaves has been frequently involved in trade rumors. At least one former NBA player believes Reaves is indispensable with Doncic, the superstar ball-handling core.

Former Sixth Man of the Year Lowe said the Lakers "don't really need" Reaves "anymore" after trading for Doncic and suggested that the traditional giants trade Reaves for a talented interior player.

In light of the recent frequency of client appearances in trade rumors, Reeves' agent, Aaron Reilly, responded: "Next year is going to be a show. People simply don't know what's coming. Keep putting him in the trade rumours for a backup center. ”

The Lakers clearly need to bolster their center position — center Hayes barely played in the first-round series against the Timberwolves. But are they willing to use Reeves as a bargaining chip?

Reaves' current contract is one of the best in the league: he is averaging career-high 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals per game this season and is being paid less than $14 million in 2025-26. Based on Reeves' career trajectory, it's entirely possible that he will make another breakthrough in his fifth season – after all, his scoring and assist stats are steadily improving every season.

Some media believe that the Lakers currently have a trident composed of Reaves, Doncic and James, and have the foundation to win the championship, but they need to build a suitable supporting cast around them. But Reaves is expected to jump out of his current contract in the summer of 2026 to test the waters of the free agent market, at which point Reaves is expected to pursue a contract with a maximum annual salary of $42.5 million under a collective bargaining agreement.

Lakers media also said that Reaves' next contract will be paid more than $30 million a year. This summer, the Lakers could offer him up to a four-year, $89.2 million contract extension, but Reaves is expected to decline the extension. Should the Lakers trade Reaves? Everyone is welcome to leave a message and express their opinions.