Report: Austin Reaves bigger offseason priority for Lakers than LeBron James

The Lakers still hope LeBron James returns for another season. But according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Austin Reaves may actually rank as the organization’s bigger long-term priority. Speaking on his podcast, Buha suggested Los Angeles would place a greater emphasis on securing Reaves’ future than committing major money to James beyond next season. “If it comes down to whether you’d rather pay Austin $40 million per year for the next five years or LeBron $40 million for one year, they’re going to prioritize the long-term contract,” Buha said. “Austin is more of a priority for the Lakers than LeBron....