There is very little doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers want Austin Reaves to remain with the franchise for the foreseeable future. And Reaves has spoken in the past on numerous occasions about his love for the team and city of L.A. and wanting to stay with the Lakers for his entire career.
Now that Reaves is finally set to hit free agency and get paid what he deserves, the biggest question is whether he will demand the max deal that he is eligible for, which would be for $239 million over five years. However, money will not be the only factor that plays into Reaves’ decision, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Still, sources familiar with Reaves’ thinking told ESPN throughout the season that Reaves’ contract decision will not come down solely to a dollar figure. There will be various factors, including Reaves’ repeated stance that he would like to play his entire career with the Lakers.
If this is truly the case and Reaves isn’t absolutely set on getting the absolute most amount of money he can get, that is a positive for the Lakers. Reaves has been criminally underpaid for years now and deserves to be properly compensated, but there are questions about whether a contract that starts at nearly $50 million per year is too much.
The Lakers are also trying to build out their roster into one that can compete for a championship alongside the likes of the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Having so much money tied into Reaves, as well as Luka Doncic, could make doing so more difficult. But if Reaves were willing to take a bit less it could make all the difference in the Lakers’ ability to add a real game-changing center and some defensive-minded wings.
Ultimately, the guard must do what is best for him, and the Lakers can still offer him far more money than any other team. It continues to seem likely that the two sides will be able to work out a deal, and Reaves’ desire to remain with the team, and his relationships that he has forged with Doncic, LeBron James and JJ Redick, surely play a big role in him wanting to remain with the purple and gold for a long time.
Nets expected to offer max contract to Austin Reaves
One team that is known to be interested in Reaves is the Brooklyn Nets, who are expected to offer a max contract to the Lakers guard worth $178 million over four years. And there are other teams with interest in signing Reaves this summer as well.
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