One thing playing in the Los Angeles Lakers’ favor as Austin Reaves was preparing to hit free agency was that there were very few teams with the salary cap space to give him a max contract. And two of those teams ate into their cap space thanks to a trade that saw the Brooklyn Nets acquire Julius Randle while Nic Claxton went to the Chicago Bulls.
But there are always teams looking to make moves in order to clear the necessary room and in the case of Reaves that was apparently the Detroit Pistons. Prior to Reaves and the Lakers agreeing on a four-year, $185 million deal to keep him in L.A, the Pistons were preparing to make a run at the guard and were lining up deals to do so, via NBA insider Marc Stein:
The Lakers today secured Austin Reaves' commitment on a new deal after rising interest from Detroit, league sources say.
I'm told the Pistons began maneuvering to make a real run at Reaves that would've required, among other moves, trading Isaiah Stewart for needed flexibility. https://t.co/cYZLzjSheJ
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2026
The Pistons’ interest in Reaves makes complete sense as he is the exact type of player they need alongside their All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham. The postseason exposed the Pistons’ struggles to create offense outside of Cunningham and Reaves has proven he can play alongside a superstar, and take over the offense as a lead creator when necessary.
It is possible that the Lakers got wind of the Pistons’ interest and moved even quicker to lock in Reaves before he ever hit the open market. It is known that money wasn’t the only important thing for Reaves and he prioritized winning as well, and the Pistons could offer that in addition to the money. Being willing to trade away a player like Stewart who was crucial to their success last season shows how serious they were about getting Reaves.
Nonetheless, the Lakers did what they had to do in order to keep Reaves in the purple and gold, and the Pistons’ interest likely insured that the guard got the max deal he was looking for this offseason.
Details on Austin Reaves’ new contract with the Lakers
Reaves’ four-year deal with the Lakers will start at $41.3 million next season with annual increases up to $51.2 million in the final year. There is also a player option for that fourth season, so Reaves could be a free agent again as early as 2029.
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