Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers should be considered winners of the free agency period as the guard got a four-year extension while the team kept one of its core pieces for the foreseeable future.
Reaves set himself up nicely for a lucrative raise after helping lead the Lakers all the way to the Western Conference Finals and will now look to contribute as a member of Team USA during the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup. His rise as an undrafted free agent to this is nothing short of remarkable and has people like Darvin Ham believing he’ll eventually be an All-Star in the league.
Off the court, though, Reaves is an avid golfer who also enjoys playing video games. However, when it comes to playing in Los Angeles, there are also inevitably going to be rumors about dating and celebrities and Reaves found himself at the center of gossip when there were reports of him going on a date with Taylor Swift.
In an appearance on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, Reaves addressed the rumors about him and Swift:
I regret to inform you that Austin Reaves and Taylor Swift aren't dating (yet). 🤣
via @shobasketball's All The Smoke pic.twitter.com/kpP6vEtycg
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) July 21, 2023
It was a silly rumor born from a parody account that managed to catch steam on the Internet, so it should’ve never been taken seriously. However, people tend to take what they see and run with it so Reaves was unfortunately just caught on the wrong end of it.
Funnily enough, Reaves didn’t necessarily shoot down his interest in Swift when asked and instead opted to keep quiet. In this day and age, everything can get aggregated and spun the wrong way, so the 25-year-old seems to have a good grasp on what he can and can’t say publicly.
Regardless, that stuff isn’t relevant to the Lakers or Reaves, who will look to build on their postseason run and make another legitimate run in the 2023-24 season.
Austin Reaves considered Rockets and Spurs in free agency
Reaves made it known early that his preference was to re-sign in Los Angeles because he considered the organization and city home. However, with other teams with more cap space lurking there was a possibility that someone could’ve poached him.
In fact, Reaves revealed that he was considering signing with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs before ultimately reupping with the Lakers.
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