Los Angeles Lakers fan favorite Austin Reaves “reportedly wants to be paid in the Tyler Herro range of $30 million a year,” Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays.
Miami Heat wing Tyler Herro is indeed set to make $31 million in 2025-26 and $33 million in 2026-27. However, it’s not completely clear whether Helin was citing “$30 million” as Reaves’s preferred number because it was mentioned by ESPN. Last week, ESPN’s NBA insiders reported on the state of the franchise, quoting an anonymous executive that says: “‘I think he will get $30 [million] plus…”
“The expectation, from both that executive and others, is that Reaves ultimately will return to Los Angeles, which would cement Reaves’ role as the long-term running mate next to Doncic in L.A.’s backcourt — the role once held by (Jalen) Brunson then (Kyrie) Irving in Dallas.”
This sentiment was shared “multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command.”
Why Lakers’ Austin Reaves Doesn’t Deserve ‘Tyler Herro’ Money
Lakers president Jeanie Buss has been particularly complementary of Reaves.
This is undoubtedly tied into the fact that he’s played far above expectations as a player who went undrafted. They also genuinely appreciate his game though. From him evolving into their third option, to his ability to create for others, to his hustle. Indeed, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin recorded Buss as saying:
“The way he plays the game, fights for every ball, sacrifices his body, when you see somebody like that, you can’t help but get drawn in and cheer for them… And he was that from day one … he just keeps proving himself over and over and over again. … We’re just lucky to have him.”
In fact, McMenamin believes Buss would only trade Reaves for a “top-10” or “top-20” player (h/t The Lowe Post).
That’s a strong statement about a player who has no league awards or accolades, as well as career averages of 14.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. That’s even with him averaging career-highs of 20.8 points and 5.8 assists per game (on .460-.377-.877 splits) last season. Given this, it’s possible that the support he’s received from the team’s top decision-makers has made him overconfident in regards to his impending contract negotiations.
Yet, Herro has a career average of 19.4 points and 4.0 assists per game, indicating a player that has a higher floor than Reaves. This is supported by the fact that he was named to the All-Rookie team in 2019-20. He’s also more accomplished. In 2021-22, he won Sixth Man of the Year. In 2024-25, he averaged career-highs of 23.8 points and 5.3 assists per game while earning his first All-Star selection. During the 2025 All-Star Break, he won the 3-Point Contest; his second appearance at the event.
The Last Word On Austin Reaves’s Next Contract
Ultimately, Reaves is a pretty good player. To be clear, he and Herro’s playmaking and defensive ability are about the same, for better and for worse. He’s just not as potent as Herro now and he hasn’t been on his level in past seasons. Thus, there’s not much logic to him making Herro’s money.
A more fitting comp for Reaves would be Chicago Bulls guard Coby White. Their skillset and averages are a bit more similar than their career arc. Nevertheless, Reaves’s pace to becoming a 20-point scorer is much closer to White’s than Herro’s. With that in mind, White is currently eligible to sign a four-year, $89 million contract extension. The annual value of that contract is about $7.5 million less than what Reaves is either seeking or expected to.
Should Reaves take his game up a notch, that $30 million mark will make more sense. Until then though, it’s an overpay.
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