Free-agent shooting guard Austin Reaves has agreed to a four-year, $56 million Early Bird maximum contract to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:
Reaves initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers that led to a standard minimum contract in 2021 NBA training camp. Less than two years later, he agreed to a deal for the maximum allowable salary.
The new deal contains a player option on Year 4, a 15 percent trade kicker and the max advance allowable, per league sources.
The 25-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per contest last season for the Lakers.
Reaves helped lead Los Angeles to the conference finals, pouring in 16.9 points and 4.6 assists per game in the postseason.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why the Lakers included everything they could to keep Reaves
The Lakers saved their best and biggest move for last, inking Reaves to a value deal after Los Angeles successfully scared off any would-be suitors from offering Reaves his four-year max offer sheet around $100 million.
Had Reaves been an unrestricted free agent, he likely would’ve signed a contract worth well over $100 million this offseason. He just turned 25 and was the third-best player on a team that made the Western Conference finals. At times, he was the Lakers’ only reliable source of offense in the playoffs. Team USA identified him as a young player on the rise and invited him to play on the World Championships roster this summer.
The Lakers plan on running more of their offense through Reaves next season, unlocking the point guard skills he’s flashed through his first two years in the league. He’s officially a cornerstone of the franchise.
