Why is Austin Reaves not playing against Pelicans tonight? Lakers star guard's absence from game explored (Mar.4)

Austin Reaves is expected to miss his second consecutive game as the LA Lakers are set to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. LA hopes to extend their six-game win streak to seven games. Fortunately for the Lakers, Reaves' first absence on Sunday against the LA Clippers didn't take a toll on them, especially with Rui Hachimura also out due to injury.

Austin Reaves injured his calf on Friday in their first back-to-back game against the Clippers. Reaves played only nine minutes that game before heading back to the locker room. MRI showed that his right calf was sore and was expected to be day-to-day. Reports also suggested that AR should've missed only Sunday's rematch against the Clippers.

Surprisingly, Reaves was downgraded to out for Tuesday's game against the Pelicans. While there aren't any reports suggesting that his injury got worse, we're not entirely sure how long his recovery phase will continue. In the meantime, Lakers fans can expect either Gabe Vincent or Dalton Knecht to replace him in the starting lineup.

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Austin Reaves to test free agency

Austin Reaves has become a crucial part of the LA Lakers lineup. Even before Luka Doncic's arrival to the City of Angels, Reaves has proven to be a serious threat to their adversaries. Looking at his numbers this season, AR is averaging 19.1 points, 6.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

While the Lakers are now sitting in second place in the Western Conference, Jovan Buha of The Athletic suggested that Reaves is likely to test out free agency in the near future.

"The Lakers will make their contract extension offer to Austin ... and they will offer him -- it's about four years $88-$90 million, somewhere in that range," Buha said. "That is below Austin's market value. The way he's played the last two months, he's clearly a high-20s, if not like $30-plus million a year player."

"I would expect Austin to decline that and to not sign that extension," Buha continued. "I think in that 2026 summer, he will opt out, he will test free agency, and then he will try to re-sign with the Lakers and remain a Laker long-term. But it's going to come down to what kind of contract they offer him."

Austin Reaves' contract will last until the 2025-26 season, with a player option for the 2026-27 season. Reaves is also eligible for a contract extension. For now, we'll have to wait for the LA Lakers to make him an offer next season and see how AR responds. However, it might come down to how the season turns out this year.