Only 30 days left! The Lakers are in a dilemma! Reeves refuses the contract, Doncic becomes suspicious, James new trend

Only 30 days left, the Lakers have big moves! The Lakers originally wanted to give Reeves a four-year, $89.2 million early contract renewal, but Reeves refused. He planned to jump out of the contract in 2026 to try the free market. The Lakers team reporter revealed that the team's four-year contract renewal contract was worth $82.5 million. He felt that this was far from reflecting his value. He wanted a three-year contract of $120 million, that is, an annual salary of $40 million. The situation is unclear at the moment. Let's wait and see how the Lakers will respond in the future.

Without a few weeks left in the 2024-25 season, the Lakers are not idle. Team reporter Anthony Irwin said that the communication between the Lakers and other teams has now reached the "high potential energy" stage. Lakers Operations President Pelinka is so active, she is busy in the trading market, and her target is directly at the center. It is said that he has already started negotiations with several teams using the trading chip framework that he had previously pursued. Clarkston of the Nets and Gafford of the Mavericks are all within the Lakers' attention range. A league executive revealed that as long as other teams have big men who can play well and want to trade, Pelinka will use Knector and the first round pick as the starting chips for negotiations. If the center is strong enough, he is still going to continue to increase his position.

The Lakers were easily eliminated by the Timberwolves 1-4 in the first round, which sounded the alarm for the team's management. Throughout the season, the Lakers' inside problems have been very serious. After the Davis was traded, Hayes, the only center that barely works, was left in the playoffs. But Hayes couldn't stand it in the playoffs at all, and his data dropped sharply, averaging only 1.8 points and 2 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage dropped sharply to 37.5%. Like the key G5 battle, the Timberwolves' Gobert scored in the Lakers' interior, scoring 27 points and 24 rebounds, the Lakers lost 15 rebounds in the game, and scored 16 points in the interior. It is obvious that Hayes alone cannot support the Lakers' inside line, which is also a key factor in the team's first round elimination.

The Lakers' shortcomings in the inside are too eye-catching, and Pelinka can't sit still and starts to use her big moves. He used the trading chips he gave when he was chasing the Hornets Mark Williams as a framework and was negotiating with many teams. Clarkston of the Nets and Gafford of the Mavericks have all become the Lakers' targets. Previously, the Lakers planned to send out Kennett and Reddish, as well as the 2031 first-round pick and the 2030 draft pick swap. Although the deal was not completed, they still wanted to use similar chips this time. Clarkston is 26 years old, 2.11 meters tall, can grab boards and block shots; Gafford is 2.08 meters tall, and has strong ability to eat cakes. Both of them meet the Lakers' needs for centers.

Although the outside world generally feels that Doncic wants to retire in Los Angeles, the Lakers dare not be careless. Everyone knows it. If they want to keep Doncic and renew their contract smoothly, they have to quickly trade a big man who can play pick-and-roll with him this offseason. Doncic is so powerful when playing pick-and-roll. With a reliable inside cooperation, the Lakers' offense can immediately reach a higher level. Previously, Pelinka wanted to use the trading chip framework to fight for Ma Wei to exchange for Nets' Clarkston and Mavericks' Gafford, just to prepare for this. Now, I heard that the Lakers are targeting Ayton, who is the Trail Blazers, and are even willing to send out practical players such as Wincent, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt. The Lakers are so anxious to find the inside, hoping to satisfy Doncic, play in the team steadily, and renew their contract smoothly in the future.

According to Lakers reporter Jovan Buha, the team's core Austin Reeves made a clear statement that he refused to renew his contract with the Lakers in advance during the offseason, and decided to jump out of the contract next summer to go to the free agent market. NBA famous reporter Eric Pincus also confirmed this. The Lakers originally wanted to give Reeves a four-year, $89.2 million early contract renewal, but he looked down on it. Reeves now has an annual salary of US$13.9 million. There is a player option of US$14.9 million in the 2026-27 season, and he will definitely not implement it. His agent revealed that Reeves wanted to sign a big contract with a starting salary of at least US$30 million. If he renewed the contract with the Lakers, his annual salary would be up to US$19.5 million, which would be too much difference. Reeves averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game this season, and performed well. No wonder he had the confidence to refuse to renew his contract and go to the free market to fight for a big contract. Many teams in the market are greedy for Reeves, and the Mavericks are even more active. The Dallas media have begun to discuss in a rush that if Reeves goes to the Mavericks, can he replace Irving's position. After all, Irving has a torn cruciate ligament on his left knee and is reimbursed for the season. He is expected to return in January 2026. The team's shortcomings in the point guard position are too obvious. Reeves averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game this season, and his offense and defense are both online. He dares to take action at critical moments. The Mavericks feel that his passing vision and game control ability can make the team's offense smooth and perfectly meet the needs. If Reeves is really brought in, how to arrange the role after Irving comes back is a headache for the Mavericks management.

Reeves refuses to renew his contract, and Doncic is doubtful. James, another core member of the Lakers Big Three, also has new situations. ESPN reporter Shams revealed that there are only 30 days left before the deadline for James' contract option (June 30). At present, league insiders speculate that James will most likely implement the player option worth $52.6 million in the 2025-26 season. After the Lakers were eliminated a few weeks ago, James said at a press conference that there were uncertainties in many factors. At that time, he was neither sure of returning to the Lakers next season nor whether to retire. Now these 30 days are crucial for both James and the Lakers.

After the Lakers were eliminated, James made a statement about his NBA future at a press conference. He bluntly stated that there are uncertainties in many factors and it is currently impossible to confirm that he will return to Los Angeles in the 2025-26 season.. James said that he had to discuss with his family and team carefully and think carefully about how long he wanted to compete on the field. He also mentioned that the year he fought side by side with his son Brownie was the most satisfying experience in his career. James did not give a clear answer to whether to retire. After all, he is 41 years old, and his physical condition, family factors and future planning must be considered comprehensively, so it is difficult for him to give a definite answer at the moment.