According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Lakers were informed by Austin Reaves that he is not signing their proposed extension offer for $90 million. He will bet on himself this season to prove he’s worth more – whether that’s from the Lakers or another organization.

Reaves is in the final year of his contract, which means he will be an unrestricted free agent for next year’s offseason. The third option for Los Angeles is close to finishing his four-year, $54 million contract he signed back in 2023.

Next offseason, competing with the rest of the league, the Lakers can offer him a max of $246.7 million over five years. This has been confirmed by ESPN.

Despite having the opportunity to test himself out in free agency next offseason, Reaves has said he wants to remain loyal to the team that gave him a shot.

“I want to be in LA. I want to play my whole career in LA. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf,” Reaves told K8 News. “And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball.”

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers are wanting to upgrade their center position with some veteran talent and leadership. This has drawn their attention to players like Brook Lopez.

In addition to targeting Lopez, other players such as Clint Capela and Al Horford have caught their attention. Rob Pelinka has made it his mission to give added security to the front court and make both Luka Doncic and LeBron James happy.

All three players are unrestricted free agents this offseason, so Los Angeles will not have to sacrifice pieces to acquire one of them through a trade.

Capela’s future with the Atlanta Hawks seems over due to them trading for Kristaps Porzingis and selecting Asa Newell in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Horford may look to move on with the team going in a different direction financially and wanting to get younger. The Boston Celtics continue to navigate through their salary cap and luxury tax messes.

Same can be applied to the Milwaukee Bucks, as they want to get younger and free up themselves up financially.

“There’s names like Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, Al Horford out there in free agency,” said Shams Charania on Get Up. “Will it be that route or the trade route? That’s what everyone in L.A. and everyone around the league is waiting on.”

Los Angeles’ current center room consists of Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Jaxson Hayes, and Alex Len.

With him getting ready to play in his 23rd NBA season, one of LeBron James’ biggest focuses heading into training camp is getting his knee fully healthy.

LeBron has been recovering from a ligament sprain in his left knee since Game 5 of the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 40-year-old says his knee feels “good,” but he wants to get it to a point where it’s fully healthy.

“I have a lot of time to take care of my injury, my knee, the rest of my body and make sure I’m as close to 100 percent as possible when training camp begins in late September,” James told the AP.

He has publicly stressed the importance of keeping his body in great condition, so that his knee can get to the same point and it doesn’t become a factor for the future Hall of Famer.

Many were wondering if last season was his final season in the association, as people thought Father Time finally caught up to him and he got the chance to play alongside his son Bronny.

However, his family keeps on motivating him to play for another season, as he is showing no signs of slowing down.

“They’re like, ‘Dad, continue on your dream. This is your dream. Continue on your focus. You’ve been here for us this whole time,'” James said. “When you have that type of support … it makes it a lot easier.”

While he has said his time in the NBA is coming to an end, LeBron has never given an official timeline. Plus, according to Dalton Knecht, the two had a conversation where LeBron said he can play another five-to-ten years – if he wanted to.

There is a lot of speculation floating around NBA circles that LeBron won’t retire until he has the chance to play with his other son, Bryce. His youngest son becomes draft eligible in 2026.

When LeBron is able to play ball with all his kids professionally, then many suspect “The King” to retire shortly there afterwards.