Austin Reaves dropped 31 points in Game 2 and the Los Angeles Lakers still lost by 18. They are now down 0-2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the conversation about the next iteration of this team is already running ahead of the series itself.
On ESPN's Goodwill Hunting, Tim McMahon — fresh off a courtside seat at Paycom Center — laid out a position that ran directly into pushback from Jay Williams. The flashpoint was Reaves, who is set to hit free agency this summer with a market value the Lakers themselves helped create.
"Listen, don't get cute with Austin Reaves," McMahon said. "Yes, he does fit next to Luka. Yes, you do need to surround them with length and athleticism, but this is the one summer that the Lakers will have to utilize cap space because when they re-sign Austin Reaves, it will be their last official order of business."
McMahon's point was structural. Once Reaves signs, Los Angeles will carry his cap hold and have no meaningful flexibility for the rest of Luka Doncic's prime years. Whatever upgrade the Lakers want — a rim protector, a wing defender, a dynamic scoring complement — needs to be acquired this offseason, before the contract goes on the books.
"How much cap space will they have? That's going to depend on the LeBron decision," McMahon said. "If he wants to be back in Los Angeles, it's going to have to be on a steep pay cut. But again, this is their one chance to upgrade. Luka needs a dynamic scoring sidekick. We've seen that work with Brunson. We've seen that work with Kyrie. And then you've got to surround them with three-and-D type of players with a real rim protector, which they don't have on the roster. But don't get cute with Austin Reaves. Pay the man, keep him in LA next to Luka."
Jay Williams sees the same Lakers and reaches a different number. Watching Reaves and Doncic share the backcourt against the Thunder, Williams kept landing on the same defensive math.
"As you think about next year, people keep talking about LeBron, where will LeBron be? I don't know how you can have Austin Reaves on the same team with Luka," Williams said. "A lot of people try to say Austin Reaves is Luka's Jalen Brunson or Luka's Kyrie Irving. And my thing, at some point, having both those guys on the court from a defensive liability perspective is a major theme. I think you have to get three-and-D guys that can defend, can shoot, and literally construct a team around Luka. I don't know if it's worth paying Austin Reaves 30 million plus dollars and then have cap space issues to get those opposing players."
Vince Goodwill split the difference, framing the LeBron piece as the variable that dictates everything else.
"I think we can all assume that LeBron is not going to sign a max contract, a long-term contract. This is a year-to-year thing with him," Goodwill said. "You have your next guy, but you can't go into the full element of team building around Luka Doncic until you figure out exactly what's going to happen with LeBron James and what that cap number is. Because if he's making $50 million and then you're getting Austin Reaves at that number and then you have Luka Doncic at that number, that's not sustainable."
The playoff evidence sharpens the question. Through two games against Oklahoma City, the Lakers have shot 50% in Game 2 and still been buried by 18, with Doncic averaging 15.5 points on 33% shooting in his head-to-head minutes against the Thunder this season. Williams has watched that and concluded the construction around Luka has to lean defensive first. McMahon has watched the same thing and concluded you do not let the third-best player in the building walk for cap space you may not productively use.
The Lakers can keep arguing the officiating between now and Game 3 in Los Angeles. The bigger argument — Reaves at 30 million, LeBron at his number, length and rim protection on the wings — is the one that will define this franchise long after Oklahoma City has moved on.
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*Originally published on [NBA News](https://nbanews.global/article/lakers-austin-reaves-luka-doncic-summer-tim-mcmahon-jay-williams-may-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
