Three key contributors predicted to opt out of contracts with Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers have three guys with player options in their contracts for the 2026-27 NBA season, and all three have been predicted to opt out of their options.
Those three players are Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton.
Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton all predicted to decline player options for 2026-27 season
In a recent article for The Athletic, John Hollinger predicted that all three of Reaves, Smart and Ayton will decline their options in favor of new deals in free agency, either with the Lakers, or elsewhere.
Here's what Hollinger had to say about Ayton:
Ayton signed a bargain deal with the Lakers that he massively outplayed (BORD$ value $19.3 million) and should be up for a reward in the free-agent market as a result. He’ll be among the most gettable starting centers on the market.
And Smart:
Smart signed his deal with a player option with the idea that he could get a payday this summer if he played well. He did. BORD$ now values him at $11.6 million, so he can confidently test the market.
Meanwhile, Reaves' future in L.A. will be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason. The Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks are all reportedly interested in signing Reaves, but the Lakers have expressed a desire to keep him in purple-and-gold.
"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. And we feel the same way," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said last month.
"We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. ... Both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out where he continues his prolific career here."
Things could always change, but it seems like retaining Reaves is a priority for the Lakers. Meanwhile, we'll have to wait and see what happens with Smart and Ayton.
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