SI

Lakers' Austin Reaves Seems to Shade Pistons to Fan: 'I'm Not Going to Detroit'

Reaves made the comment during a golf tournament.
Ryan Phillips|
Apr 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) moves the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the second half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) moves the ball against Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the second half in game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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Los Angeles LakersDetroit Pistons

Apparently Austin Reaves is not a fan of the Motor City.

At a recent golf tournament that the Los Angeles Lakers guard was playing in, a fan said, "We need you on the Pistons Austin." Reaves quickly replied, "I'm not going to Detroit."

Ice cold and harsh, but fair.

The Pistons are coming off a horrific season in which they finished an NBA-worst 14–68. To put that in perspective, the champion Boston Celtics won more games in the playoffs than the Pistons won during the regular season. At one point, Detroit tied an NBA-record with 28 straight losses.

It was the second season in a row the Pistons had the league's worst record as they went 17–65 during the 2022–23 season. So, yeah, it's safe to say Motown isn't exactly a desirable destination for NBA players right now. On top of that, the Pistons just fired Monty Williams, who has long been a respected head coach around the league.

Reaves just finished the first season of a four-year, $53.8 million contract he signed last offseason. He has become a key piece of the Lakers rotation as they attempt to make another title run in the twilight of LeBron James's career. During the 2023–24 season, Reaves set career-highs in points (15.9), rebounds (4.3), assists (5.5) and minutes (32.1) per game. There's no reason to think the 26-year-old can't improve upon those numbers.

Sorry Pistons fans. Austin Reaves isn't going to Detroit.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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