Los Angeles Lakers Expected To Sign Austin Reaves Long-Term This Upcoming Offseason
Going from being an undrafted player on a two-way contract to earning a standard NBA deal, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is facing a significant raise this upcoming offseason.
Reaves has quickly proved to be a key part of the Lakers success and set to be a restricted free agent in the offseason, Los Angeles seems to be prepared to keep him around long-term. There have been various reports suggesting that Reaves and the Lakers will agree to a new deal in the offseason and on a recent episode of The Fast Break Podcast, Ryan Ward from Lakers Nation gave his thoughts on Los Angeles keeping the 24-year-old guard around.
“He’s so savvy. It is going to sound weird to compare him to Luka Doncic, but they are similar in the sense that they play at their own speed and it works for them,” Ward stated. “Reaves just seems to get better every game and I am just blown away by his confidence. You rarely see this kid struggle and if he does, he just seems to make up for it at the end of the game or at some point. He’s always got one big or two big plays in him every night. If they let him go, doing the same thing they did with [Alex] Caruso, heads are going to roll. People will flip out.”
As mentioned before, Austin Reaves went undrafted in 2021 and while he immediately signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, it was not a given that he was going to have a roster spot or two-way spot with the team heading into the 2021-22 season.
Proving his worth in Summer League, the Lakers kept Reaves around on a new standard contract and he played well during his rookie year, averaging 7.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game a season ago. Heading into this season, there were questions about if the Lakers would keep Reaves around since his contract was non-guaranteed for the 2022-23 season, but Los Angeles has to be pleased with their decision.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the two superstars on the Los Angeles Lakers roster, but Austin Reaves may just be the most popular player and the fan-favorite on the team! Reaves has had a stellar second season in the league, averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the floor and his recent stretch of games has been extremely impressive.
With the Lakers dealing with injuries, Reaves has stepped up alongside Davis and is not only averaging 17.8 points per game in the month of March, but he recently scored a career-high 35 points this past Sunday against the Orlando Magic, propelling the Lakers to a big 111-105 victory.
“They have to keep Austin Reaves, otherwise I am going to have no idea what this team is doing,” Ward went on to say in regards to Reaves. “It’s one of those situations that seems to make perfect sense in regards to keeping him around, but the Lakers may go in a different direction for whatever reason because at the end of the day, everything starts with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. If they decide to shock everyone and move one of those guys, that could just change the whole mindset with extending Reaves. He’s going to get paid one way or another whether it’s from Los Angeles or a different team, I’ll put it that way.”
No matter the situation he faces on the offensive-end or defensive-end of the floor, Austin Reaves never seems to back down from a challenge, which is why he is beloved by his team and Lakers fans.
He is not the most talented player, nor is he the most athletic player, but Reaves plays his role to perfection and recording his career-high 35 points the other night, the young Lakers guard could hear chants of “MVP” raining down from the top of the arena while he was at the free-throw line, sinking a clutch free-throw to win this game against the Magic.
“Obviously, that's never sustainable,” Reaves said after the game in regards to the MVP chants. “But for them to recognize what I do, obviously, not an MVP-caliber player, guys that are really good. But for them to do that, for me is special. It means a lot to me. So, you know, shout out Lakers Nation.”
The maximum contract the Lakers can offer Austin Reaves in the offseason is a four-year, $50 million deal and given the interest that will exist from other teams, Reaves could very likely get this offer from Los Angeles. Both Reaves and the Lakers would like to remain with one another long-term, which is why the team cannot afford to let him go.
Regardless of how this season plays out for the Los Angeles Lakers, it does appear as if Austin Reaves will play a significant role in their future.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
