Austin Reaves is not going anywhere. The Los Angeles Lakers locked up the 27-year-old guard on a four-year, $185 Million max contract extension. The deal runs through at least 2029, with a player option for the 2029-30 season.
And one NBA analyst sees it as a calculated wager by the franchise.
NBA Analyst Jovan Buha Feels the Lakers Took a Bet on Austin Reaves
NBA analyst Jovan Buha took to X to break down what the extension means for Reaves going forward.
“Austin is now being paid as a max-level player,” he said. “He will be evaluated on the scale and through the lens of a max-level player.”
Buha went a step further and laid out exactly what the organization is banking on.
“From the Lakers’ side, this is a bet on Austin as a top-two-level player on a championship team. They are confident in what he has done, particularly his fifth year, but he’ll continue to ascend, and we’ll see how that bet plays out.”
The confidence is well-founded, given Reaves’ trajectory. The Oklahoma alum went from an undrafted free agent to a cornerstone of the roster in just a few years.
Reaves declined to be selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Instead, he signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract in August 2021, converting to a standard deal just a month later.
Last season, he posted a career-best 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Those numbers helped the Lakers finish as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. According to Spotrac, Reaves has earned $41.9 million across his career. The new deal pushes that total to $226.70 Million.
Several teams had circled Reaves as a free agency target, including the Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers moved quickly, though, locking in the extension before Reaves could reach the open market. Luka Dončić played a direct part in making it happen, reportedly pushing the front office to prioritize keeping Reaves ahead of this offseason.
Now, the two will anchor the Lakers’ backcourt together for the foreseeable future after building real chemistry over the last 12 months. And Reaves does have a goal for next season. Shortly after the deal closed, Reaves sat down with and made his goals clear.
“It’s going to be fun,” Reaves said to Dan Woike of The Athletic after the deal happened. “And like I said, winning a championship is the main goal. And I feel like, you know, with me and Luka, that’s a great starting piece to compete.”
Reaves is treating the extension as a starting point rather than a destination, keeping his focus on winning over the paycheck.
Now the real work begins for the Lakers and Reaves. Next season will reveal just how well that bet plays out.
