Austin Reaves has been playing on one of the NBA’s biggest bargain contracts for the past couple seasons, but this summer he is set to cash-in after greatly outplaying his deal. Reaves is eligible for a max contract with the Los Angeles Lakers that would start at nearly $50 million per year, but whether he would get that deal is not clear.
But at the very least it seems as if Reaves will be seeking that deal from the Lakers and may not be willing to take a discount deal to remain in L.A.
“He bet on himself. He stands to make five years, $241 million from the Lakers if they offer him that deal,” the L.A. Times’ Brad Turner said during an appearance on Spectrum SportsNet. “Or if he goes to a team like Chicago, or a team like Brooklyn, he can get four years, $178 million. Those teams will kind of lurk around.
“But based on what I understand, what I keep hearing: Austin wants the max. Is he willing to give the Lakers a hometown deal? I’m not so sure about that. Maybe he does, but maybe his reps don’t want that… Austin was having an All-Star year until he got injured, he was having a great year when they were going strong in March. He has shown that he is a top player in the NBA and him and Luka together, they form one of the best backcourts offensively in the NBA.”
There is no denying that Reaves is more than deserving of a big raise from his previous contract as he likely would’ve been an All-Star this season had injuries not occurred. The question is whether anything below the max would be considered a discount deal in the eyes of Reaves and his representation.
A contract that starts in the $40 million per year range would seem to be a reasonable deal, but Reaves might feel differently. Other teams can’t offer as much as the Lakers can, but Reaves could still choose to go elsewhere if he feels L.A. isn’t offering what he deserves.
The Lakers have spoken about wanting Reaves back in the fold going forward, but this offseason will show just how far they’re willing to go to make that happen.
Nets are team to watch for Austin Reaves this offseason
The most another team could offer Reaves this summer is around $42 million per year and one of the teams capable of giving him that kind of money, and one to watch during Reaves’ free agency, is the Brooklyn Nets.
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